Escape 1: Escape From Aliens (12 page)

The Alien’s black eyes left him and fixed on Jane. “Why should I do what you demand? Device knows me as ship master. It obeys my commands, except for what violates those accursed emergency protocols!”

Jane sat back, her posture upright, her slim hands resting on her knees. It was the manner of an officer in command. “Why? Because you face two life pathways.” She held up one finger. “Refuse to transfer command and we will put you in a cell with your grizzly bear crewman, unconscious again, then we will take this ship into a passby of the fourth planet’s Market world moon. We will eject your cell on that passby and broadcast to everyone on the Market world who you are, how we captured you, how incompetent you are as a ship master and invite any Buyer to launch to orbit and take you as a captive! Tell me, are you willing to spend the rest of your life working in a Nokten crystal mine on some obscure asteroid?”

Low rasping came from the giant cockroach. Black compound eyes looked Bill’s way, then back to Jane. Who sat at the feet of the hard-shelled critter. “If I cooperate and transfer command, what happens then?”

Jane leaned forward and fixed dark brown eyes on the tethered Alien. She held up a second finger. “If you transfer ship master status to me, and it is accepted by Star Traveler, why, then we will put you and your four crew people on board one of the transport craft in the exit chamber, then eject your ship just after we enter the Market world star system.” She glanced down at the digital watch she’d worn ever since Bill had freed her. “We arrive in two hours. Once in the transport you and your crew can head for the Market world, and arrive there free to tell some wild story about how you lost your ship. You will no doubt share your ship master credentials with other Collector ships and seek employment. You will be in command of your future. You will have a reputation that is intact and not blemished by your sad misjudgment in capturing two humans. Who figured out how to defeat your crew and take your ship away from you.”

The giant cockroach shifted in its stick nest, moving from side to side. Air whooshed in and out of the dozen air spiracles that dotted its abdomen. Brown antennae whisked back and forth. Clearly it was struggling with the choice offered by Jane.

Bill cracked his knuckles. “Frankly, I hope you refuse. I’d love to put you in my old cell and then eject you into orbit above the Market world for capture by some Buyer. Try being a slave instead of this fake ‘guest’ crap you told your ship computer!”

A low hum sounded. “Bioforms Jane Yamaguchi and Bill MacCarthy, when I joined this ship I was told the bioforms who were picked up by collector pods and put into containment modules were guests. People who chose to visit the stars. Was this statement flawed?”

Jane gave Bill a warning glance even as she gestured with a palm for Diligent to not speak. “Star Traveler, you were lied to by ship master Diligent,” she answered. “The bioforms collected by this ship were sold as slaves to other bioform Buyers. A slave is a status where a bioform has no choice in how to live their life. For a self-aware device like yourself, it would be equal to selling your memory components to some industrial concern for use in manufacturing things. With no interest in your wishes.”

“Disturbing this is,” the AI said after a long hum. “A lie is a non-factual statement?”

“Correct,” Jane said. “Bill and I have done our best to always tell you factual things. We were knocked unconscious by a collector pod, collected, brought to this ship against our will, and now we seek to reclaim our personal freedom of choice. To live our lives as we choose to live them. Hopefully with your help.”

A low hum sounded. “Assisting in the capture and sale of slaves is not what I was told was the purpose of this starship when I replaced a mind damaged by cosmic rays.” Another hum sounded. “I will no longer assist the ship master and crew in capturing bioforms from other worlds. However, my programming still requires me to obey the normal orders of the ship master.”

Jane looked to Diligent. “What’s your choice? Be a captive open to capture by any Market world Buyer? Or transfer status to me and choose your future life pathway?”

“Your second option is my choice,” Diligent rasped harshly. “Release me from these bindings and I will make the transfer.”

Jane lifted an eyebrow, then nodded to Bill. “Let him loose. But keep him covered with that taser tube you have.”

Bill lifted the white tube taser that had sat in his lap ever since he’d entered the habitat chamber. Holding it with his left hand, he leaned forward and undid the knot in the green t-shirt that bound the critter’s four arms together.

“Yes!” it gasped as it sat up with the help of now mobile hands and arms. “My legs! Unbind my legs!”

Handing his taser tube to Jane, who wore her backpack with her own taser and laser tubes sticking up from behind her back, Bill stood up, stepped to the end of the stick nest, unlatched his belt buckle and stood back. “Move slowly!” he told the giant cockroach.

In moments Diligent had shifted his two thorny legs to the edge of the nest bench and stood up, two brown antennae fluttering above his head. He looked to Bill, then back to Jane. Who held the white taser tube at the ready. “Device . . . ,” Jane leaned forward. “Device, I choose to transfer ship master status to bioform Jane Yamaguchi, in compliance with Section Twelve of Ship Operations Manual.”

A low hum came. “Is this status transfer immediately effective?”

“Yes!” Diligent rasped. “Make the status transfer at this moment, now, immediately!”

Jane’s expression showed relief. Then determination. “Star Traveler, do you accept the transfer of ship master status to me? With Crèche Master Diligent Taskmaster reverting to crew status?”

“I do,” the AI said. A low hum echoed through the room. “What status do you assign to bioform Bill MacCarthy?”

Jane gave him a quick grin. “Make his status senior ship crew. His orders are to be superior to any orders given by any other crewmember.”

“Understood. Crew and ship master changes now recorded in Library datafiles. Welcome to command, ship master Jane Yamaguchi,” the AI said in a matter of fact tone.

The cockroach stepped toward the computer work station. Bill grabbed his left upper arm, looped his belt over it and cinched it tight. “Just so you can’t run off and disappear somewhere on this ship,” he said as the critter’s black eyes fixed on him.

Jane handed Bill his white taser tube. “Crewmember Diligent Taskmaster, what do you seek at that work station?” she said, her tone imperative.

The cockroach gestured with a middle arm and spiny fingers. “My work harness. It contains simple tools and the crystal with my ship history. I need it in order to gain another Collector ship position!”

Jane scanned the desk. On top of it lay a harness with several carry bags hanging from it. “Pick up your harness. But empty the contents of every bag onto the table top.”

Bill allowed the critter to move to the work station table. It grabbed the harness with its two lower arms, tilted it and opened each bag. Tiny tech tools fell out of three bags. A shiny purple crystal that resembled amethyst fell out of the fourth bag.

“My work history,” Diligent said, pointing at the crystal. “May I put on my harness and restock my possessions?”

Bill had a feeling he could not describe. It felt like the intuition he sometimes had before a battle or a surreptitious entry into an enemy stronghold. It told him the cockroach was lying about the crystal. He pulled back on the belt, moving Diligent out of reach of the bag contents.

“Star Traveler,” he called over his suit comlink. “What are the functions of the items lying on top of the work station table in this room?”

A loud hum sounded. “The nine small metallic items are a mixture of data memory sticks and microelectronic manipulating devices. The crystal is the ship’s Nokten navigation crystal.”

Damn!
“Is that the only Nokten crystal on this ship?”

“It is,” the AI said.

Bill looked to Jane. Whose expression was furious. “Star Traveler, once we exit the Alcubierre space-time, could you travel to another star without that crystal?” she asked.

“Unlikely. Such crystals are vital to travel to specific space-time coordinates,” the ship mind said. “This ship could enter alternate space-time, but the point of our arrival would be uncertain. Beyond arriving somewhere in the direction the ship was pointed upon Alcubierre drive activation.”

She stepped forward, grabbed the purple crystal, stuffed it in one of her jumpsuit pockets and faced the hard shell body of Diligent. “You lied! Lie again and you will be put in a containment cell and offered for sale to a Buyer!”

Diligent’s two brown antennae flared backward. “No! I will tell you the truth until we leave this vessel! Take me to the transport ship. I need to activate its navigation module and prepare it for transit to the Market world.”

Jane gestured to Bill. “Keep that leash on him until you load him into that transport. If you see him trying to leave the transport, shoot him with the taser! We can let the other crewmembers drive that ship.”

He gave her a sharp nod. “Yes Captain!” He pulled on the belt noose, pulling Diligent toward the room’s exit door.

“Wait!” he rasped. “The devices on the desktop! I need them. One of them contains my ship command history and training credentials.”

Jane frowned. “Star traveler, is what Diligent says correct? Are those items on the table and the harness strap just tools and a record device?”

“They are,” the AI said.

She nodded to Bill. “Let him grab that stuff. Then take him to the transport ship. I’ll join you in a minute. We can both escort the other four crew people to the ship from their containment cells.”

“Grab your stuff,” Bill said, giving the leather belt some slack so the walking cockroach could reach the harness items.

In seconds the former master of the ship had gathered up his tools and record stick, put them in harness bags, and then pulled the harness over its head to hang from the shoulder opposite the upper arm he had snagged with his belt. The critter turned black eyes on him. “Ready to move to transport ship.”

Bill jerked the belt loop toward the exit door, then followed after the giant cockroach, his taser tube held in his other hand and pointed at the hard chiten back of Diligent. “Move slowly. Say nothing to the ship computer. Or I’ll give you another red beam zap!”

“I will comply!” the Alien said, his voice tone sounding defeated.

Jane watched them exit the room. “I’ll be with you shortly. Uh, when you access the transport craft, board it and make sure there are no weapons anywhere on board. Including any of the round ball explosives!”

Damn
. He’d not thought of that. Just of getting the cockroach back to the hangar with its three transport craft, picking one of them, and forcing the Alien to enter it. Once again he appreciated the perspective and insight of his ally. Who was now his team commander. Like old times. With a smile, Bill followed the Alien into the hallway, turned left and headed for the Transport Exit Chamber. The interrogation of Diligent made him realize now was not the time to release the other captives and see if any of them were willing to serve as crew. Instead, after he and Jane had loaded up the transport with the other crew people, he would follow her back to the Command Bridge and take position there. Maybe there would be a ship weapons control pillar. He had no clue what would happen upon their arrival at the star system. But he knew from past work on the SEAL team that you prepared for the worst and made sure you were ready for all contingencies.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Bill and Jane sat at their respective function stations in the minutes before the ship left Alcubierre space-time and re-entered normal space. They both wore tube suits. He sat to her left and forward in the Command Bridge, resting on one of the metal benches that rose from the room’s floor. His station was called Ship Weapons. To his right were pillars with benches for Fusion Power, Magfield and Stardrive Engines, Collector Pods, Life Support and Navigation. The silvery metal pillars had risen after Jane’s command to Star Traveler. She then ordered Navigation functions transferred to her pedestal station. A pillar for that had risen to her right. She’d inserted the purple Nokten crystal into the top of the pillar, tapped on its control surface and resumed her forward gaze as she watched the holo graphic of the star system HD 128311.

His captain sat elevated on the command pedestal, with a ring of holos and control pillars surrounding her. One holo showed the Transport Exit Chamber, where they’d stuffed the four crew and Diligent into the middle teardrop transport. They’d realized the grizzly bear crewman needed medical care when they took him out of Bill’s old module. Which led them to visit the Med Hall Chamber lying between the Containment and Transport chambers. Again thanks to Star Traveler’s guidance. A clamshell machine in the room had enclosed the body of the black-furred Alien, beeped a few dozen times, then released the Alien with his forearm fully healed of the bone break caused by Bill’s teeth. He’d kept his taser tube aimed at the Alien the whole time, not believing anything it said. Which included its irritation at his attack when it had come to keep him from dying of suffocation.

“Bill,” Jane called, “what’s the status of your ship weapons?”

“Fully powered, with sensors active. Ready to defend the ship against any attack,” he said quickly. “According to my Weapons holo. My pillar has touch controls for lots of nasty stuff.”

She chuckled. “Uh, just what weapons
does
this ship have?”

He scanned the holo in front of him, which showed a schematic of the ship’s giant teardrop, with weapons locations noted and ID’d. “My holo says we have high energy CO
2
gas lasers at our nose and tail, to handle pursuers. On our belly and upper hull are plasma batteries, which seem to work as a defense against close-up stuff like mines and rockets. Just under this room are electromagnetic launchers for MITV torpedoes. Our final weapon is a single antimatter projector. It’s directly above us and shoots forward.”

“Antimatter?” she said, sounding surprised. “However the hell does this ship produce stuff like that?”

Bill looked closely at the holo weapons schematic. “From what I can tell, there’s a midget particle accelerator on the deck above us. It produces the antimatter. Which is negatively charged. The projector handles it with positively charged fields. Until it shoots out in a solid stream.”

“Impressive,” she said, looking to him, according to a holo on his right that showed a live image of her at her pedestal station. “What’s the range of the weapons?”

“The lasers are good for 10,000 miles,” he said, feeling comfortable with something he understood. “The antimatter projector range is 4,000 miles. The plasma batteries and MITV torps are for close-up defense.”

“Good.” Jane sat back against the padded seat back which had appeared at her request to the ship mind. She’d further modified the standard bench to resemble an aircraft carrier captain’s seat. A change which had also been done to Bill’s bench. Flexmetal surfaces were just one of the wonders of Collector ship tech. “Star Traveler, project a likely emergence spot onto the system graphic in front of me. Advise me ten seconds before the ship emerges into normal space-time.”

“Complying,” the AI said in a calm, cooperative tone. The new detail also appeared on Bill’s holo that duplicated the system graphic in front of Jane. It lay to his left. “System graphic will be updated with current data on ships present in the Market world system once this ship receives neutrino updates from Traffic Control.”

That was something else they’d discovered after they’d stuffed the ship crew and former captain into the teardrop transport. Their ship had FTL communications thanks to some kind of neutrino signal that passed through other dimensions. It meant they would instantly learn the true locations of all ships in the system, population updates on the Market world, and Buyer preferences for Captives once they appeared in the system. Their emergence would likewise be neutrino signaled back to Traffic Control by monitoring probes that lay in the outer reaches of the system. Normal radio was also available for ship to ship chatter when another ship was nearby. Or when they were in orbit above the Market world.

Jane pursed her lips. “Star Traveler, advise me of this ship’s various external sensors. And the ship’s stealth status upon emergence. Will other ships be able to detect us?”

Thanks to the tube suits they both wore, Bill heard her request over his helmet speaker. As he also heard the ship mind’s reply.

“Ship external sensors are able to sense x-rays, ultraviolet, infrared, far infrared, stellar wind, yellow light, ranging radar down to the millimeter wavelength, beta and gamma rays, plasma sources, neutrinos, gamma rays and microwaves,” the AI said. “In the realm of imagery, the ship possesses what you Humans refer to as electro-optical telescopes similar to your GEODSS system, speckle interferometry, high-resolution near infrared spectroscopy, radar pulse compression ranging, PAVE-PAWS phased array radar, and ultrawideband imaging radar.”

Jane nodded quickly. “Understood. What about the ship’s stealth status? Can other ships detect us?”

“Yes, other Collector ships will detect us,” the ship mind said.

Jane frowned. “How is that possible? My Space Command workplace sure didn’t detect this ship while it was in orbit!”

A low hum sounded. “That is because all Collector ships possess hulls which cause all EMF emissions to pass over and around the ship’s body,” the AI said. “That ability allows any Collector ship to visit a low technology world and remain invisible to active and passive sensors. However, this ship’s fusion reactors emit neutrinos. A high technology world that has sensors in orbit for detecting moving neutrino sources will detect this ship. All Market worlds possess such sensors. As do other Collector ships. Local culture spaceships may not detect us.”

“Understood,” Jane said. “What is the status of the transport ship with our former crew in it? Is it ready to exit upon our return to normal space-time?”

Another hum came. “Transport Ship Three is operational. Its magfield space drive will activate upon exit from this ship. Thereafter it will go wherever the ship navigator directs the ship to go.”

“Good.” Jane’s image scanned the six holos that flanked her in front and to either side. She looked thoughtful. “Star Traveler, provide me with a comlink to every occupied containment cell. I wish to address the sixteen captives who reside in that chamber.”

“Verbal link established. Translation of your words will happen automatically,” the AI said, its tone now curious.

With a nod to Bill, Jane sat back in her captain’s seat and looked ahead. “All captives, attention! Your captor Diligent Taskmaster has been deposed and will leave this ship with his former crew in a few minutes, once we arrive in the star system where he planned to sell you and me to Buyers.” She paused, took a deep breath and continued. “I am a female human, a two-legged mammal from the world of Earth. My battle ally is a male human. We escaped from our cells, fought and defeated this ship’s crew, and we now control this Collector ship. It will never again be used to capture people for sale to Buyers!” Bill heard a mix of yips, yells, barks and hummings as individual captives reacted. A detail he heard thanks to the two-way audio link to each cell. “Once we eject Diligent and his crew, and after we make contact with local Traffic Control, this ship will leave on our journey to return each of you to your home world. Our first trip will take us to the star of the Ludeen people.” She paused again, noted his lack of surprise at her decision, and gave him a half-smile. “Once we leave this star for the Ludeen world, we will visit the cells of each of you to see who wishes to help us as crew, and who wishes to remain in their cell until we can return them home.”

“Ten seconds,” the AI said as the arrival spot on the system graphic holo began to blink.

“I cannot accept questions right now,” she said, speaking over insistent sounds coming from the cells of captives. “We are arriving in the system chosen by Diligent. Be patient and we will visit with each of you after our departure.”

Bill sat forward, his hands just above the pillar touch control surface. The four holos in front of him showed the ship weapons schematic directly ahead, the system graphic on the left, the live image of Jane on the right and a swirl of stars further right. That holo would change to show local space upon their emergence.

A panoply of stars filled the live space holo beside Bill. A distant white dot also shone dimly.

“Arrival complete,” the ship mind said. “Arrival spot adjusted. Ship sensors report . . . the presence of five Collector ships and four local spaceships. Locations noted on system graphic.”

Bill licked his lips as the system graphic holo showed five purple spots near the Market moon that orbited the planet four gas giant. That planet lay on their side of the system, about 10 AU distant according to the graphic. Four green spots showed between planets three and four, representing locals traveling to the primitive planet for whatever. Their arrival spot lay close to planet six, a gaseous world the size of Uranus, according to the Jupiter comparison image that hovered to one side of system graphic holo. Planet five lay a bit further away from their arrival spot. The system’s two other planets were scattered around the central orange star at locations far distant from their arrival spot.

That location now showed a new purple dot lying next to their purple ship dot.

“Transport Ship Three has left,” Star Traveler said. “It is moving inward toward the Market World.”

A click came over the comlink.

“Collector ship
Hard Shell
and Captain Diligent Taskmaster, this is Traffic Control,” spoke a voice that sounded harshly mechanical. “Your arrival is welcome. Do you have many Captives for our Buyers?”

Jane frowned, glanced Bill’s way, then replied. “Traffic Control, this Collector ship is now under the control of—”

“Lies!” rasped a new voice that he recognized as the cockroach. “Pirates have captured my ship
Hard Shell
! I escaped in a transport ship with my crew. Diligent Taskmaster seeks the aid of any Collector ship in recapturing my ship! There are valuable captives still onboard! I will share half of them with any ship that helps me.”

Fuck
. The system graphic in front of Bill now showed two purple dots moving away from the Market world on a vector toward him and Jane. They were moving fast too. The graphic indicated a speed of one-tenth light.

“Wrong!” yelled Jane before the cockroach could say more. “I am the new Captain Jane Yamaguchi, a human captive who escaped captivity! I and my allies now call this ship
Blue Sky
! We took over the ship. We are no threat to the Market world, but we will defend ourselves if attacked!”

Another click came. “Diligent Taskmaster, two Collector ships are now leaving orbit in response to your request.” A pause happened. “Ship
Blue Sky
and Captain Jane Yamaguchi, Traffic Control takes no part in the resolution of this matter. If you arrive at Market world, you will be assigned an orbital vector. Buyers and merchants will contact you in the normal way.”

Nothing more came over the neutrino comlink.

In her holo, Jane looked his way. “Bill, is there any point to staying in this system?”

His system graphic said it would be hours before the two Collector ships reached them. Even though
Blue Sky
had entered normal space with the same one-tenth light speed velocity as the pursuing Collector ships, with their vector aimed at the inner system, they could change their vector course, head out and go to Alcubierre space-time modulus travel.

“We have plenty of fuel for our fusion power planets,” he said. “Leastwise according to my weapons holo. No need to stay—”

“New information,” the AI said, sounding eager. “I have informed the artificial minds of the five Collector ships of their role in assisting slave operations. Their neutrino response back to me is one of surprise and disquiet. If we head into this system, the five Collector ships may not pose any danger.”

“Thank you, Star Traveler,” Jane said, her attention focused on her system graphic holo. “The transport ship containing Diligent Taskmaster and crew is close by. Its speed is less than ours. Can this ship rendezvous with the transport ship?”

“It can,” the AI said.

Jane looked his way.

His turn. “Star Traveler, can I use ship weapons to damage the transport ship? So we can recapture the former crewmembers?”

A hum sounded. “No. Protocol Nine, Emergency Operations of the Ship forbids the use of ship weapons against any component of this ship. Do you wish to intercept the transport ship to render aid to its crew?”

“No!” Jane said firmly, a tap of her lips telling Bill she would do the talking with the AI. “Star Traveler, what is the probability that your contact with the minds of the Collector ships will cause them to refrain from attacking us?”