Adventures on RV Traveler (Free Trader Series Book 3) (12 page)

26 – Nothing Trying to Kill Us

While they traveled, Aadi talked with Zyena, looking for something that might hinder their progress. There wasn’t a unifying force on this level, nothing like the Rabbit People and their Bee Army or killer beetles.

They could continue without fear. Zyena was happy, as was Skirill. Braden guided the hover car back toward the path that Micah selected for them. G-War curled up on her lap and went to sleep. Pik and Aadi sat in the back seat, calm, watching the world go by.

“Hey, a stream!” Braden said as he saw the water pass beneath the car. He stopped a little more abruptly than intended and lowered the vehicle to the ground. He wouldn’t look up so he didn’t have to see the others glaring at him.

He jumped out, looked around, then cupped a hand to the water. It was fresh. He filled the flasks one by one. G-War climbed out to drink directly from the stream, so Micah got out, too.

Pik was quick to leave the vehicle behind. He would have preferred walking as this felt to him like a cooler rainforest. It reminded him of home. He plunged into the stream and let it wash off the dirt and soot from Deck 3. He sat down, then submerged himself completely. It was cold to him and almost hurt, but after the wasteland, any water felt good.

Skirill and Zyena joined them, landing on a low branch and sitting close, their wings touching. Braden and Micah leaned up toward them, scratching their legs and stroking their chest feathers.

“This is my second favorite deck on the whole ship,” Braden exclaimed, watching Skirill. “It’s hard to beat Deck 8, huh? So much food and friendly Rabbits!”

‘Don’t listen to him. This is our favorite deck, isn’t it?’
Skirill said to his new partner.

‘I have nothing to compare it, to, but I’ll take your word for it. I think this deck is better than the Rabbit Deck. Although we do like rabbits, don’t we?’
Skirill had shared the joys of Planet Vii, including rabbits and squirrels. They had squirrels here, she assured him, both ground and tree.

‘Did somebody say squirrels?’
G-War appeared next to them. He stopped, looked at the forest, then bolted off.

“I guess we wait,” Braden said as he opened his pack, looking for more food. “I hope there’s a fabricator on the Command Deck.”

27 – The Command Deck

They weren’t sure about leaving the hover car, but they had no choice. They parked it, asking Holly about a power source. He told them what to look for. They found the projection from the bulkhead about a hundred strides away for the door and the elevator. He talked them through the steps to ensure the vehicle was powered for their return trip. With the hover car, they could cross Deck 3 while staying clear of the beetles.

Skirill and Zyena were waiting for the companions when they arrived. They perched in a nearby tree, ready for the next adventure. Skirill talked constantly to her, easing her fears. He had to go as he was a sworn companion to Braden and Micah. He would have none of her arguments to stay. The world was a great place, but it was out there, off the ship.

Her journey, as part of their new life together, would begin when she rode the elevator.

When they were gathered, Braden looked at the growing group, shook his head, then opened the door. His worries that the elevator wouldn’t fit everyone were unfounded. It was big, big enough for all of them. Once they wedged Aadi through the door, Skirill and Zyena flew to the door, landing close, then Skirill hopped through. He looked back, encouraging her to join him. She took small hops until she was at the doorway, then with a bold jump, she was through.

G-War strode through, shaking his head. Pik, Micah, and Braden joined them. The door closed. Micah took a deep breath. “Command Deck, please,” she said boldly.

The elevator started moving, slowly at first, like the pod, then gaining speed. Holly warned them that the Command Decks were central to the spinning axis, which meant that they would float much of the time. Braden and Micah didn’t know what that meant until the elevator stopped.

They lifted gently off the floor as the elevator settled. The door opened. The corridor beyond was circular, with handholds along the walls, both perpendicular and parallel to the corridor.

The humans turned to brace their feet on the back wall and pushed off. Both pushed too hard and their bodies hurtled down the corridor. They finally grabbed a handhold and pulled themselves back to the doorway. Aadi needed help to get out. Once out, he was the most comfortable floating. He swam as normal to move. Pik was terrified at first, but once Micah showed him how to move, he became more tolerant, although he still didn’t like it.

G-War was the most put out. Since he didn’t have hands to grasp railings or handholds, he floated freely, dependent on someone else to move him. Once Braden caught up with the ‘cat, he put him onto his pack, where G-War could straddle it and embed his claws.

Skirill and Zyena tried to modify their flight to help them move, but the corridor wasn’t wide enough. They smacked people and creature alike as they tried to fly past. They learned to use only their wing tips, and then the corridor chaos calmed greatly.

The corridor that looked more like a tunnel led to a single hatch at its end. There was a small round window. Micah looked through first and gasped at what she saw.

‘Humans. Working at consoles.’
She watched until Braden joined her. He saw four humans, wearing clothing similar to what he saw on the survivors of Cygnus VI.

“They might get excited if they see any of our friends. Let’s have them stay back. G-War remains with us. We go through and make peace. They might be able to align the ship for us, but then again, why hasn’t Holly been able to establish contact with these people?” Braden whispered to Micah, watching as the strangers went about their work.

“Holly couldn’t talk with the Command Deck. There’s something different here. Once we explain things, I think it will be okay. It has to be.” Micah squared her shoulders and readied herself to go in.

“G?” Braden asked, hoping the ‘cat wouldn’t find hostile feelings from the other humans.

‘I can’t feel anything. Let me see.’
The ‘cat leaned around the side of Braden’s head and hooked a claw into the backpack strap. He watched for a few heartbeats.
‘They’re not human.’

They moved away from the small window and accessed their neural implants.
‘Holly, we have a problem. There are creatures that look human working at the entrance to the Command Deck. What are they and how do we talk with them?’

‘Fascinating. I believe you are looking at a group of Androids. These are very sophisticated Bots modeled on humans. Keep me active and I may be able to link with them.’

‘Does that mean they’d be in our heads?’

‘No, you would simply be acting as a conduit between me and them. No matter how sophisticated they are, they cannot compare to me. Have no fear, Braden, Micah.’

“Have no fear, he says.” Braden looked at Micah and shook his head. “His life isn’t on the line. G-War, you stay behind, too. The Old Tech has usually welcomed us lowly humans. We’ll see if we can square things with them, then we’ll introduce the rest of you.  By the way, be ready to run if we give the word.”

The companions worked their way down the corridor using various methods. Aadi went last, pushing those who struggled.

With one last nod, Micah waved her bracelet at the panel and watched as the hatch cycled and opened. She went through to music playing as the Androids froze in place. Braden walked in behind her, blocking the view through the open hatch with his body, before shutting it behind him.

When the music stopped playing, one Android stepped forward. “Master President, we weren’t expecting a visit. This is highly irregular. We usually get notification.”

28 – Androids

“Usually get notification? How many times has the President visited these spaces?” Micah asked.

“Two thousand, six hundred, ninety-nine times over the past four millennia. It has been seven hundred, three years since the last visit.”

“Have you been here the entire time?” Braden asked.

“Why yes. Androids have very long lives.”

Holly hadn’t said anything about long-lived creatures running the ship. Braden didn’t know what to say, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“You’ve lived four-thousand cycles?” Braden looked at the Androids, as Micah didn’t give them a chance to answer Braden’s inane question.

“We need to align the ship in order to transfer the survivors from Cygnus VI to the Traveler and then further to planet Vii, I mean Cygnus VII,” Micah told the Androids.

They stood motionless. Braden started to get a bad feeling. He opened his neural implant so Holly could do his thing.

“I’m sorry, what are you waiting for?” Micah asked them, asserting her authority.

“We can’t do that from here, Master President. This is one of many Maintenance and Service Sections. There are over one hundred of these throughout the ship. We keep the ship systems functioning. We work with  the air and water circulation on Deck 2.” The Android stood expressionless after his explanation.

“How do we get there from here?” Micah was losing patience. The Androids weren’t volunteering information. If she wanted specifics, she had to ask specific questions.

“Go back to the elevator and tell it Command Deck, Bridge. It will take you to a corridor similar to this one. Follow that to the Bridge. Once there, the Bridge Crew will be able to align the ship for you.” The Androids remained motionless, watching. It was unnerving. When humans talked with Holly, he moved, changed expressions, acted human.

“Are you trying to access our systems?” the Android asked matter-of-factly, without inflection in its voice.

“We are in contact with the Command Center on Cygnus VII. Is that a problem?” Micah asked, trying to buy time. She rested her hand on her blaster and looked to Braden. He was engrossed with Holly. She reached over and touched his arm. While she talked with the Androids, she slid his hand toward the butt of his weapon.

“It was my impression, as the President, that the ship and the planet below should be in constant contact. We have just reestablished the link after all these cycles, years, that is. We have much to catch up on, don’t you agree?”

“We can’t allow you to access our systems. They are delicately balanced.”

“Holly, please stop what you’re doing,” Micah said in an authoritatively loud voice, while also squeezing Braden’s arm.

‘Holly. Stop what you’re doing or we’re going to have to fight these Androids.’
Braden passed through the link.

‘There is something strange about their systems. If you could give me more time, I’m sure I could get in and find what I need.’

‘There’s no time left, Holly. Stop now,’
Braden emphasized. He looked at Micah and nodded.

“Is that better? Please accept my apologies. The system on Vii did not have authorization to cause you any problems.” Micah tried to soothe the Androids. They remained unreadable. “Please, return to your duties. I’d like to observe for a while.”

The Androids hesitated, making the situation even more uncomfortable than it already was. Then, they went back to their monitors and consoles. They focused on the screens, punching buttons and making hand motions in front of them.

“Are there humans on the Bridge?” Micah asked. The Androids ignored her, going about their business as if she no longer existed.

‘Holly, do we have anything to worry about from these things?’
Micah asked via her neural implant, while trying to watch the Androids with her other eye.

‘I fear that I cannot tell. I was unable to break into their systems. For this reason alone, I recommend caution.’
Micah reduced her window. She looked at Braden and casually pulled herself around the Maintenance and Service spaces. Handholds were conveniently located throughout the space. She suspected they’d see the same thing everywhere there was zero-g.

Braden moved opposite Micah, bracketing the Androids in case they did something he didn’t like. He was ready to kill them all. Maybe the ‘cat’s inherent fear of machines was rubbing off on him. Braden stopped when he had a good line of fire and watched Micah as she continued moving around them.

The Androids stood on the deck, held in place without using their hands. Braden wondered how they did that, but didn’t want to open the window with Holly. He needed to pay attention to the here and now.

Micah pulled herself beside a different Android from the one who had spoken. She leaned close, trying to see what the Android was looking at.

The screen was blank. She couldn’t tell if the system was functioning at all. She nodded at the Android and moved on. It was the same for each. There were systems functioning within the space, but not any of those the Androids were working with.

But the Androids felt Holly when he tried to access the system. Micah realized that Holly had tried to access the Androids themselves. She took a deep breath.

“I think that’s enough. You look busy, so I’ll leave you to it. Thank you for your gracious welcome and information.” She pushed off a bulkhead toward the hatch when a hand shot out, gripping her leg tightly. She stopped instantly.

Braden pulled his blaster which started him spinning. He tried to aim with one hand, while holding tightly to a bulkhead hand grip with the other. He wedged his foot into the back of a console to steady himself.

The Android closest to him turned toward him and took one quick step.

Even floating, he was too close for Braden to miss. He pulled the trigger, holding it a little longer than normal as the light beam burned into the chest of the creature. It started sparking and then it froze. Whatever was holding it to the deck released and it floated in front of the human, blocking his view of the others.

The Android held Micah’s leg so tightly she thought the bone would break. She pulled her blaster and leaned down, firing between her legs into the mid-section of the Android. Short bursts. She fired three times before it let go. She kicked it away from her, spinning it toward the back of the space while propelling herself forward. She completed her roll, moving feet first toward the hatch while aiming at one of the remaining two Androids.

Braden tried to move his dead Android aside. He leaned back against the bulkhead and kicked it with both feet. It was harder and heavier than he thought it would be, but it moved.

Into Micah’s line of fire. Her shot hit the already dead, tumbling Android. Her intended target moved quickly toward another hatch in the back of the space. His fellow was moving toward her.

Braden regained his perch, aimed and fired at the retreating figure. He hit it in the side of the head which then exploded in a shower of sparks. Its momentum carried it forward until it smashed into the hatch, then floated slowly back toward the center of the space.

Micah hit the bulkhead with her legs and pushed off toward the remaining Android. She aimed down her line of travel and pulled the trigger. Once, twice, then a third time.

The chest of the creature sparked and it froze, statue-like, as it lost its grip on the deck. She rolled and kicked as it approached, sending it harmlessly away.

Braden and Micah floated in the Maintenance and Service space with four dead Androids. Micah gained a handhold, then launched herself back to the hatch. She waved her bracelet and it opened.

“C’mon, everybody, the party’s in here.” She left the hatch open as the companions crawled, climbed, and flew up the corridor.