Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades (33 page)

Alice couldn’t forget
the anguished expressions on the Ando model androids she killed in
the forest, and still had doubts. “If it’s the best they can do,”
she said, conceding for the time being.

“Why is it so
complicated to deactivate Andos?” Moira asked.

“All their primary
systems and functions are hard-wired on a single chip,” Jake
replied. “The tech is so small most nanobots can’t disable
something without affecting the nearest neighbouring system. The
Andos have to do it themselves, and in the wrong conditions, they
could access the wrong function and any number of things can go
wrong. On the other hand, they’re hard-wired pacifists.”

“What about the
variable operating system you were talking about?” Minh-Chu asked.

“The basic structure
of their operating systems are hard-wired,” Jake said. “So, in
the new age of software, they’re the least useful bots we have. It
used to be the other way around, they were top of the line.”

“Everything changes,”
Moira said. “Speaking of, what do you think of the new Warlord,
Alice? How does it compare to the Samson you knew years ago?”

Alice could only regard
her with confusion for a moment, then she realized that Moira had no
idea that Alice had undergone a great transformation. “I don’t
really remember. Everything before the Battle of Port Rush is pretty
blurry.” Moira still seemed expectant, so Alice continued. “I
died a couple times, might have lost a few things when the last body
kicked it.” She could feel the mood of the room darken, but didn’t
know what she could say to recover some levity. “I like the
Warlord, though.” Moira nodded and looked to the operations
station. Her father offered her a little smile, and Minh-Chu returned
his attention to the navigational systems. “I think I’m going to
head to my bunk, good night.” She didn’t wait for anyone to wish
her good night before leaving the bridge, but heard everyone but her
father do so.

Before she was all the
way down the corridor she could hear him behind her, and she turned
towards him.

“I’m not good at
this yet,” Jake said. “Usually fathers have a grace period while
they’re changing diapers to get used to the idea of talking to
their kid.”

Alice had no idea what
to think of what he was saying, but felt that she was disappointing
him somehow. “I’m sorry I didn’t regenerate as an infant in the
middle of the battlefield?”

“Wait, that’s not
what I meant,” Jake replied. “I’m just saying I’m still
getting used to having you around.”

Alice could see the
indicator that her father was connected to the ship flash and
disappear from the corner of her eye. He was so intent on whatever he
was saying, that he couldn’t maintain a mental connection to the
ship. “Okaaaaay,” Alice said, earnestly making an effort to
understand him.

“I don’t know how
much of my conversation with Moira you heard,” Jake explained.

“You could check the
security tracker,” Alice replied.

“It doesn’t
matter,” Jake said, waving the notion off like an invisible insect.
“What I’m telling you is that I spent so much time looking for
you, when I didn’t know any other way to connect to my past, then I
found you in time to see you sacrifice yourself while commanding in
my place on the Triton.”

“I don’t remember
that,” Alice said.

“And that brings us
to now. I never expected to have a daughter, especially someone who
has so much to learn.”

“Gee, thanks,”
Alice said sardonically. Was he trying to tell her she was an
amateur? Or was he trying to gently put her in her place?

“I don’t want you
to take this the wrong way, but I have a chance to help you become
someone you’re really proud of, and I want to tell you that
whatever happened with the Rangers was my fault.”

“Psh, right,” Alice
said, half involuntarily.

He gently grasped her
chin and looked into her eyes. “I know you wanted to be part of the
Rangers, but you would have listened to me if I told you to stay
here. That puts everything that happened while you were away on me,
and I was kicking myself before I found out what happened with the
Andos. I don’t want to be the kind of dad who lets other people
raise their kid, even if you’re almost a woman already. It’s hard
for me to have you here sometimes, because I know how dangerous it
is, and I want to protect you, but I’d rather have you here than
leave you back on Tamber.”

“So I’m some little
girl you want to keep your eye on now?”

“No, that’s not
what I meant. I want to be able to spend time with you like other
families do. What’s happened to Frost and Moira brought that right
back into focus. Families should stick together, even if there’s
only two of us.”

“A family that raids
together, stays together,” Alice said, her irritation abating a
little. What her dad was saying came from a good place, even if it
was hard for him to communicate it. “I’m glad I’m back here,
with you.” She let him off the hook with a self-indulgent hug. She
let go long moments later. “Good-night, Dad. Get some sleep after
watch.”

“Good-night,” he
replied. “I’ll try.”

Unsettled Settlement

“I should move my
office up here,” Carl Anderson said as he looked through the tower
windows. The craggy surface of Kambis filled the night sky.
Glittering cities dotted the looming landscape above. The black, high
tide ocean stretched out to the horizon, reflecting light cast onto
it from the planet Tamber orbited.

Ayan had made the top
level of the former Order of Eden bunker’s tower her personal
office and quarters. It was her father’s idea. The top level of the
tower was the first the robotic crews finished assembling, and it
wouldn’t be practical for any official usage for several days.
Fixtures like displays, furnishings, and other necessary parts for
official use would be installed later, leaving the tower top
completely unused and empty. Meanwhile, the bunks below were full,
and officer quarters in the bunker were used for families, and Ayan
didn’t want to displace them.

The tower was built
directly into the centre of the former Order of Eden bunker and
doubled as a massive shield emitter platform. That was why it was
finished over the last few days, even though it would be mostly empty
until the power systems and other fixtures would be in place. The
shield system was the only functional electronic device in the upper
levels.

Most of the surfaces
inside were still bare dark grey metal, with minimal lighting from
independent fixtures and only a small portable materializer for food
and drink that required a great deal of water whenever it made
anything. It was a large space with only one partition for a hygiene
closet. Her bedroom space was pushed to one side, just out of sight
behind a makeshift curtain and it consisted of a cot, a storage crate
for a bedside table, and a small security safe.

Normally she’d stay
on the Clever Dream, but she decided to provide an example by living
in the newest part of the Order of Eden bunker. Besides, there were
memories living in the captain’s quarters of the Clever Dream she
didn’t care to face. Lacey had set up her cot behind another
curtain, on the other side of the lavatory. There was no other
furniture in that large space.

“It took the bots we
have about a day to build it. There are supports and specifications
for hangars and other outbuildings inside the bunker, but I still
haven’t decided what we’ll actually put up. I’ll see what Lee
says when he gets here,” said Ayan.

“I’d offer to bring
a few creature comforts from Haven Shore, but they’re short on
anything with a cushion too,” Anderson said, sitting on a narrow
ledge beneath the transparasteel window. The view over his shoulder,
Ayan’s view, was darker. The light from Kambis drowned out most of
the stars between the horizon and the large planet, but she could see
the yellow sparkle of lights from the coast of Port Rush. When their
side of Tamber rotated away from Kambis, low tide would reveal a
landmass between the former Order of Eden bunker and the sprawling
port. It would also reveal wrecks and other waste that were partially
drawn out into the ocean, or brought up. Scavengers would be going to
war.

There was no way Ayan
could have known how hard the first three days of recruitment and aid
would be. The bunker she stood above had only processed eight hundred
and twelve. The other bunker processed a little over five hundred,
and the Triton managed to bring over eighteen hundred aboard. Luckily
enough, more than eighty percent of them had some skill that would be
useful to the Triton or the people on the ground in Port Rush. The
rest were children and their parents, who Oz was able to relocate to
the Triton. Many of them were hesitant about resettling on a combat
carrier, but most changed their tune once they saw the clean living
quarters and well-kept habitation areas. They didn’t get access to
the apartments overlooking the Botanical Gallery; Oz had decided that
those would be reserved for people who had proven dedication to the
Triton. Any new resident who cleared through security could visit the
park grounds in the Botanical Gallery, however, and there was a ring
of family apartments nearby that were practically untouched for
decades. Ayan was told that families were beside themselves when they
saw the available facilities aboard the ship, and the three to four
room apartments where they would be located. The promise of the
Triton was simple: they settle in for free after a security check,
wear a comm unit that tracked them and their children, then find a
job after two days of being aboard ship. If they couldn’t find a
job, Crewcast would assign them a temporary position while they
waited in line for something better. Anyone could leave at any time,
but there was a job for every skill set.

Ayan was hoping to work
her way up to offering the same deal on the ground, where she owned
several former Order of Eden bases through claims made by the
Rangers. She’d been down into the heart of the bunkers, the more
cramped berthing they used as a hold-over area while they cleared
people for the Triton or took volunteers who wanted to work for Ayan
and the Rangers on the ground. It was cramped, but people were happy
to receive the ration packs Ayan brought with her. It was a trick of
timing that worked in her favour. The ration packs were going to
arrive whether she was there or not, she just made sure her visits
were timed with them whenever she took a tour of the facilities.

The extra food was
provided by Triton Fleet, which was given a wealth of shipping
containers of the stuff by the Warlord. She was more than thankful
for the tons of rations, especially since the bunkers didn’t have
materializers. Even the fabrication systems inside were rudimentary,
and the food was well sub-par. They made fixtures, parts to repair
the bunker, blankets, thin brown vacsuits for people who didn’t
have proper clothing, basic communication and computing units that
looked like wrist straps, and other basic, important supplies.

By her estimation,
those systems would last years with proper maintenance, and someone
was already working on programming a few skitters to do the upkeep.
People in the berths were happy to see Triton and Ranger security
people. She was dressed as one when she took her tours, and she kept
her faceplate dark so no one would recognize her. In the short time
she was there, she saw two families reunited, and there was a feeling
that most of the people down there were already looking out for each
other. That wasn’t universal, but people seemed to offer each other
a helping hand when it was needed, and most seemed to be getting the
first good rest they’d had in weeks, possibly months.

There was a minority
that had serious problems, however, and it was that minority that
Ayan was about to meet with. She checked the thin curtains that hid
her cot, tall backpack, armour, and rifle.

“So, who is this
malcontent we’re about to see?” her father asked.

“His name is Clyde
Dominic. He says he represents the Free Citizens of Rega Gain, but
I’ve never heard of them. When I assumed he was their leader, he
was actually offended,” Ayan sighed and shook her head. “He said
theirs is an organization of full equality, so there’s no leader.
He’s just delivering their message.”

“Oh, like that cult
on Terra Zeta, the Free Born,” Anderson said, smiling.

“Sorry, who are
they?” Ayan said.

“You mean, who
were
they. Their colony was just discovered. In their statement they said
the Holocaust Virus was a sign that the end was nigh, and their
spirits would be carried to the afterlife if they died before robotic
life took the universe. They claimed to be leaderless too, but it
only took a few of them to open all the airlocks and kill all four
thousand and twenty there.”

“It would be nice if
the Order of Eden caught that kind of crazy,” Ayan muttered. She
shook off the notion. “Sorry, I’m tired,” she said.

“Most people would
agree with you these days, don’t worry.”

“I should be focused
on the work here,” Ayan said, trying to fend off the negativity
that threatened to press away her good mood. “The logistics of
building a permanent base here and helping the people stuck in Port
Rush are so complicated that it actually makes sense to forget the
big picture for a few days. Taking care of these people has got to be
the top priority.”

“Don’t take this
the wrong way,” Carl said. “But I don’t think you can forget
the big picture. That’s one of your best assets: you envision
something and strive for it. Go ahead and concentrate on setting
things up here, but delegate the minutia. That’s what the more
experienced Rangers are for. Most of them are former slaves and
refugees, so they know exactly what the people they’re helping are
going through.”