Broken Soldier (Book One) (10 page)

“Do you really think the Saurans would have brought
a new ally to this mission, if he wasn’t able to perform your
simple tasks.”

There was a long pause, and then, to his great
relief, the computer weakly said, “I acknowledge the Thorian as the
Senior Pilot.”

Mike shouted angrily, “Say it louder and agree to
follow all of his commands.”

If ever a computer was agitated, this one was. With
the sound painfully loud it said, “I acknowledge the Thorian as the
Senior Pilot and will obey his commands.”

Mike looked at Jo and calmly said, “Senior Pilot,
may I suggest that a robot remove the dead Sauran and clean this
stinking mess off of the deck?”

Jo gave a frightened smile and said, “Computer, do
as this man has suggested.”

“Yes Sir.”

As they waited for a robot to remove the Sauran,
Mike gave it a good look. The damn thing must weigh four hundred
pounds. He realized why Jo would have such extreme fear of the
beast. It had plenty of scales on its arms and they looked thick
with muscle. The rest of him was clothed in a black uniform,
preventing Mike from seeing anymore of the Sauran’s skin. By the
way his shoulders, waist and legs filled out the black suit Mike
knew the heavily muscled monster beneath could have easily beaten
the crap out of him.

When he gazed at his alien friend, he felt sympathy
for the former slave of these rotten bastards. He wanted to make a
special connection with the Thorian, so he used his full first
name. He softly said, “Jonelle, isn’t there some way to get this
stink out of here.”

Hearing the use of his full name had a positive
effect on Jo. “Yes. Yes, of course. I’m so sorry. I should have
thought of that before I left to pick you up.”

Jo looked away in thought and Mike felt the air
begin to move around in the Op Center. He said, “Jo, I thought you
told me these guys were lightening fast. He was fast as hell, but
not that fast. And how was he able to find me, without any
eyes.”

Jo answered indirectly. “This one had a combat
package upgrade. His operational mind had been reproduced and
placed in an armored compartment in his stomach. When I burned out
his brain, he went into a void state, as the secondary mind began
to awake and rebuild what it could. The idea being to keep it alive
long enough to get it into a med unit, where it would be completely
repaired. Then its memory would be placed into the new brain.

“When I left it on the floor, it began the process
of fundamental salvation. It was only a few hours later, when I
departed in order to find a warrior leader, which was you.”

The Thorian looked shell shocked, as he spoke in a
monotone voice.

“I did most of my research on the way to Earth,
using the information the computer had already placed in the small
transport. I was gone so long that the Sauran’s secondary mind
actually began to perform significant repairs on the beast.”

He looked at Mike and continued in a deadpan way of
speaking.

“When an upgraded warrior losses one of his senses,
he relies on all of his other senses and the computer, to which he
is still in contact. He could not see you with his eyes, but he
could see through the computer’s cameras in the Control Center. As
for why you are alive…I suspect it is due to your combat experience
and the fact that he was obviously not yet up to his normal
abilities. My wounding of him slowed him down enough for you to
survive. It was most fortunate.”

Mike let out a chuckle. “That’s the fucking
understatement of the decade.”

Jo was still troubled by the presence of the dead
Sauran. Mike thought, the poor guy had been a slave for two hundred
years. He was just now beginning to believe in his freedom. His
emotions must have been running on fumes when he came to Earth. And
then to return here, only to find the damn Sauran was still alive.
That would freak out anyone.

The few weeks Jo had spent with me are probably the
first time he’s ever been able to have a conversation as a free
Thorian. It’s remarkable really. He’s held up well, as he dealt
with my concerns and all of my endless questions. I’d better cut
him some slack.

Mike told him, “I’d like to get a better look at
this Control Center, after a robot drags this piece of shit out of
here.”

Jo laughed in his weird way, before saying, “I truly
enjoy the colorful way in which you utilize so many odd phrases to
say one thing. And I’ll especially enjoy seeing this piece of shit
dragged from the Operations Center.”

They both laughed heartily, which seemed to bring
some sense of calm to Jo.

Finally, Mike took his first close look at the face
of evil. The oblong head, with the protuberant eyes near the top,
was difficult to appreciate. When Jo attacked the Sauran with the
line tester, it had literally boiled the remaining flesh in its
skull. The grayish mush had exploded out of his eyes sockets,
nostrils, mouth and ears.

Even in death, the strange being projected a sense
of evil. Mike looked at the hands and fingers, which were quite a
bit larger than a human’s. He was sure they could easily rip out a
man’s throat, or eviscerate his belly. It reminded him of his
facial wound, as it began to throb and he put a hand to his
cheek.

Jo noticed and told him, “An hour in a med unit will
fix that for you. There won’t be any scar either.”

“That’s good news. Thanks, by the way. I’m sure I
wasn’t going to beat that bastard alone. If you hadn’t put the
juice to him, I was as good as dead.”

Jo laughed at Mike’s colorful way of putting it and
said, “I was terrified and you were so very courageous.”

Mike felt it was time for a little pep talk for the
frightened alien.

“Look, Jo, you did good. I was scarred shitless.
It’s normal. I guess my combat training and experience did have
something to do with surviving. But, even though you were
frightened, you did what was necessary. That’s what good warriors
do. You’re a better warrior than you might think. You should be
proud.”

Mike could see Jo stand a little taller, which made
him a foot higher than him.

“Thank you, my friend. Coming from a true warrior, I
am honored and I am proud. But, as you say, I am still scarred
shitless.”

Mike poked at the dead Sauran’s skin and found it
slightly flexible, yet tough. There was little give to it,
primarily due to the thick muscle beneath.

He asked, “If I ever have to fight one of these guys
again, where are the vulnerable points?”

“The eyes, of course. But, if it comes to that, you
wouldn’t have a chance. In spite of their bulk, they can be
surprisingly quick; much quicker than the one you faced. It would
be best if you killed it with a weapon as soon as you saw it,
because it would certainly do the same if it saw you first.”

“Yeah, I guess so. In combat, you kill the enemy as
quickly as possible, before he does it to you.”

“Yes Mike, that is basic Sauran martial philosophy.
Where combat is concerned, they are killing machines.”

A robot showed up and began the task of removing the
dead Sauran. As the two armed, four wheeled robot hefted the Sauran
carcass onto its flat lower casement, Mike suggested, “Let’s not
toss him out into space just yet. I don’t know why, but I think we
should hold onto him for now. You never know how he might be able
to help us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that sometimes a body can come in handy. We’ll
see.”

“I have no idea how that could be. But, I trust the
judgment of a combat veteran. I’ll have the Robot put him in
stasis.”

“Good. Now, I want to change some of the names of
things, to better suit the human mind, if that’s all right with
you.”

“Certainly. What do you wish to change?”

“Humans would normally call the Operations Center
the bridge. It will have a positive effect on my fellow warriors,
if they hear terminology they already understand.”

“Very well,” Jo replied, “the Operations Center is
now the bridge. What else would you like to change.”

“Jo, even with upgrades, it will be much easier for
humans, if we make all references of measurements in human terms. I
have no idea how the other races in the Galaxy calculate distance,
or size. You seem to have already made an accommodation for me,
regarding the length and weight of the ship. And, you have also
provided me with a sense of time, by explaining it to me in years.
But what about my equivalent time measurement of seconds, minutes
and hours?”

Jo nodded, as he watched the robot carry away the
hated Sauran. “I could explain the fundamental methods for time and
distance to you, by providing comparisons between common human
terms and galactic standard. And yes, there has to be a standard
out here. Otherwise, it would be impossible to coordinate movements
and communication with other races. However, this is something that
you will find easier to grasp, once you have the upgrade.”

He looked at the human and smiled smugly, or so Mike
thought.

“Jo, you’re not even trying to be subtle now. That’s
just insulting.” But he was grinning as well.

Jo became business like, when he said, “I believe I
should show you the quarters I had the robots make for you, while I
was gone, in anticipation of your joining our cause.”

“Our cause? You mean your cause, don’t you?”

“No, I mean our cause. Whether you decide to join in
the fight or someone else takes your place, the cause of survival
for both of our races should be the primary concern for both of
us.”

“Boy, you’re really pushing it hard now, Jo. Give it
a rest.”

Mike looked back up at Jo and said, “Tell me about
these preparations you’ve made for me.”

“I’ll take you to your private quarters. Please
follow me.”

Six steps down the passageway, and Jo stopped in
front of a doorway. It opened automatically and Jo led them
inside.

“These will be your living quarters now that the
Senior Pilot is dead. It is near the bridge, in case the Senior
Pilot is called forward for an emergency; although, in space, that
usually means you’re already dead.”

Mike looked around and was amazed at the luxury. It
was quite large, when compared to a Human naval ship. The room was
at least forty feet long and perhaps thirty feet wide. It had dark
gray carpet and a lighter color, thin fabric on the walls and
ceiling, which must have been twelve feet high.

There were two of the large chairs, which would
comfortably seat the Thorian; but four more chairs of human size
were there, as well as a human style sofa. Even the metal end
tables had been sized for human needs.

Jo explained, “I’ve taken the liberty of setting the
computer to perform by your voice commands. If you wish more light,
you merely have to say so. Your bedchamber and private hygiene
facility are through that door, which will open for you, when you
tell it to do so. For the more immediate needs of your guests,
there is a hygiene facility through the other door, over there.” Jo
pointed to the other side of the room.

One wall was completely unused, until the alien
closed his eyes and it flashed on, like a television screen,
showing him thousands of ice bodies, in the Oort cloud.

“Jo, will the computer obey my commands?”

“I’ve instructed it to do so. It will not obey your
commands to alter the basic mission of the ship, or do anything
which would put the ship in danger, but otherwise it will accept
your instructions.”

After weeks together, both of them had begun to
recognize the intent of their respective body languages. They even
began to copy each other. As a human would do, Jo held up his
hands, palm forward, as if to stop Mike and told him, “I’m not
trying to assassinate an already deceased equine, but I should
point out that you will be able to have the ship perform for you
with ease, once you have the upgrade. You will simply think it and
it will be done.”

Mike began laughing and had trouble stopping, before
he asked, “Did you deliberately alter that phrase or was it just
you being specifically accurate.”

Jo smiled, obviously pleased with himself and
admitted, “I have noticed that you seem to enjoy my failed attempts
to use human colloquialisms. I confess that this time it was a
deliberate effort on my part to please you, as I subtly provided
impetus to guide you in the direction of joining the
rebellion.”

“Oh you’re good.”

“Thank you, Mike. A Thorian who has survived for
more than two hundred years, under the heavy heel of Sauran boots,
must learn to say the right thing at the right time, if he is going
to remain alive.

“I’ll leave you for now. I’m sure you would like to
clean up and probably experience some sleep. When you are ready to
examine more of the ship, just tell the computer and it will summon
me.”

“Where are you going to be?”

“I tire as you do. I’ve taken the Junior Pilot’s
quarters, across the passageway from you. I intend to cleanse and
rest, and then eat. By the way, if you are hungry, tell the
computer.”

Mike stood and waved his hands back and forth before
his face. “Wait a minute. We’ve got to change a few more names
here. Instead of Senior Pilot, let’s call it Captain; and instead
of Junior Pilot, we’ll call him the Executive Officer, or XO. And
we definitely have to come up with a name for this ship and the
computer.”

Jo looked puzzled. “You wish to name a computer. It
isn’t alive. Why would you do that?”

“I guess because we talk to it, as though it was
alive. It obeys our commands, doesn’t it, so it’s like a servant or
a…a steward in a human Navy. When we bring others on board, before
they receive their upgrades, they will interact with the computer.
They will accept the entire process much easier, if they can speak
to a named intelligence. Oh, and it should be a woman’s name.”