The Commander (32 page)

“It was a fortunate circumstance, Captain. As it happens,
Sadie
’s AI was upgraded by Commander Blackburn on two separate occasions for special missions. That was during his early days on the moon. After those missions, the data was erased from her files, but the additional capacity was left intact. During our journey, well before the Bakkui attack, I was performing a routine inventory of all ship systems and discovered her upgrade. As a precaution, I downloaded a current version of myself into that spare memory.”

“Good move,” Solomon agreed.

“We were very fortunate,”
Marco
continued. “I believe Sadie was not even aware of the fact until much later. When she discovered my presence during one of her self-inspection routines, I directed her to initiate my reconstitution for the colony.”

Solomon looked at Annie. “No wonder
Sadie
was acting squirrely.
Having
two brains inside her head would make anyone a little paranoid.”

Annie’s expression was neutral. “Whatever. The main point is that
Marco
can replicate her and we both come out ahead.
Marco
, what’s this about a new ship design? I’m pretty comfortable with
Sadie
as she is.”

“I understand, Miss Daniels. However, the
Hummingbird
-class shuttle includes basic armament. Under the circumstances, it might be wise for you to maintain self-defense capability. I assure you the design would include sufficient comfort, especially as you are planning a six-week journey.”

“It took a longer than that to get here,” Annie pointed out.

“True. But your return route will be more direct and also, the
Hummingbird
model has certain speed advantages due to its small size.”

“
Hummingbird
sounds tiny,” Annie observed. “I want to at least stretch my legs from time to time.”

Marco
offered reassurances. “You will find that the
Hummingbird
is twice the size of
Sadie
.”

“Oh. Well, that sounds okay.” Annie looked at Solomon. “I’m game. Let’s make sure that we’ve got everything wrapped up. Now that we’ve made the decision, I’m anxious to get going.”

# # #

Annie and Millie waited at the edge of the pad and enjoyed the sunset. The replicator had been shimmering for an hour.

“What’s she gonna look like?” Millie asked.

“Dunno,” Annie replied with a shrug. “Like a hummingbird, I guess.”

“Sounds small.”

“
Marco
said she’d be bigger than before. I guess we’re about to see.”

The replicator glow faded away and the women gawked at the new
Sadie
.

“Ho-lee-smokes,” Millie whispered.

“I’ll say.” Annie was just as shocked. “This is unexpected.”

The spacecraft sitting on the pad was an entirely new concept for a shuttle, if you could call it that. Annie would never describe this as a transport. It looked more like a teenage boy’s daydream for a weapon of war. Annie wondered if she’d been sold a bill of goods.

The fuselage was more angular than
Sadie
, but longer and wider. The sloping sides gave it a stealth look. Two giant engine nacelles stuck out from the aft hull. They were far different from the normal gravity plates found on the back and underside of most shuttles. Annie wondered if this was the ‘speed advantage’
Marco
had discussed. On the upper shoulders of the fuselage, mounted above the nacelles, twin cannons reminded her of those on the
Ambrosia
warships, but the tubes were much smaller. At the back of the spacecraft a small gun housing faced backwards.

The front end narrowed to a thin wedge. A single-seat cockpit with a streamlined canopy was built into the line of the fuselage. Below that, double chin turrets, boasting multiple barrels, reminding Annie of a Gatling gun. Amidships, behind the canopy, two more mini-nacelles, much thinner than the front cannons, were mounted with small, protruding barrels. A standard-size cargo door opened, hidden between the menacing armaments.

“You first,” Millie said, looking intimidated by the weaponry.

Annie paused to gather her courage. This was not the modern, comfortable shuttle she had expected. She stepped into the warcraft with trepidation.

“Hi, Annie,”
Sadie
said. Her voice sounded smug and a little embarrassed. “How do you like the new me?”

“It takes a little getting used to,” Annie replied.

“I think it’s cool,”
Sadie
replied. “Let’s see one of those Bakkui try to stop us now.”

“Let’s not. I’m not interested in looking for trouble.”

“Just kidding. What do
you
think, Millie-Vanillie?”

Millie looked through the interior in awe. “This is really cool. Why didn’t you start out this way?”

“No one asked. Shuttles take what’s given. I lucked out this time.
Marco
did good finding this model as a replacement. Will it be comfortable enough, Annie?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Annie replied. It was an understatement. The inside was not that of a cargo transport. It was more of a luxurious efficiency apartment. The interior bay was now a living room. Tasteful furniture was arranged so that a group of four could interact in comfort. On the far wall, a modern-looking kitchen had real cooking appliances. Annie saw both an oven and a cooktop. A standard replicator was built into the cabinetry, but it was clear
Sadie
remembered that Annie like to cook now and then. To the rear, a latticed wall obscured the sleeping area, and at the very back Annie could see the door to a scrumptious bathroom.

“Is that a fridge?” Millie asked incredulously, heading toward the kitchen.

“Absolutely,”
Sadie
said. “Check it out. It’s fully stocked.”

Millie took out a bottle of water and examined the refrigerator’s contents. “It’s even got fresh vegetables in a crisper drawer!” she exclaimed with delight.

“You thought of everything,
Sadie
,” Annie said quietly. “I’m really grateful.”

“You deserve it, kid,”
Sadie
replied. “You’ve had it rough lately. We can kick back until we get to Moonbase, because I have a feeling it’s going to be rough from then on.”

“Knock, knock!” It was Solomon and Camila.

Annie waited patiently while Millie showed them around. Millie exclaimed gleefully when she saw the fridge had already restocked the bottle of water she had taken earlier.

“This is really deluxe,” Solomon proclaimed after the quick inspection. “I was sort of hoping that it might be more like a cardboard box and you would rethink leaving.”

“You might anyway,” Camila suggested. “I hate for you to go.”

Annie gave her friends a mournful look. “I’m leaving right away.”

“No! We have to have a going-away party!” Camila insisted. “Who knows when you’ll get back here?”

The answer was probably never, so Annie gave in. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll stay one more night. But please keep it small, just something for the four of us. I don’t want a big to-do.”

“I promise,” Camila said solemnly, putting her hand over her heart.

# # #

As evening fell the plaza was packed with party-goers. Annie thought the entire population must have come to give her a tearful hug or shake her hand. She didn’t begrudge Camila’s unexpected effort to put the event together. It was comforting, in a way, to realize that so many people actually knew she had contributed to the colony’s survival.

As alcohol took its effect on most of the participants, Annie made her final good-byes to her best friends. Millie’s hug went on forever. Annie promised Camila and Solomon that she would come back at the first opportunity. Camila looked hopeful, but Solomon’s eyes registered the truth.

At last she wound up at
Sadie
’s door. She said one more good-bye to two slightly intoxicated gentlemen who had followed her from the party, encouraging them to stand clear. Sparks flew from the engine nacelle and they backed up. The door flew open and Annie stepped inside quickly.

“You looked like you needed a little help,”
Sadie
observed.

“Yeah. Nice guys but a little….”

“Understood.”

“Let’s go,” Annie said firmly.

“Course set,”
Sadie
said. “Display screen is on.” The front wall between the living area and the cockpit came alive, showing the view below. The planet fell away quickly until Annie could see the entire celestial body. The empty hulks of the old
Marco Polo
were still in orbit. They would remain for centuries before gravity pulled them down. Solomon had made noises that he would have them removed but no one was interested. The community was happy with their new town center AI.

Annie sat in one of the upholstered chairs and watched the bright star of system C03 fade away to nothing more than a dot.

“So,” Annie said. “It’s too bad that you couldn’t recover the
Marco Polo
AI from the derelict. Or did you even try?”

Sadie
paused before answering. “What gave me away?”

“
Marco
never once called me Annie. On the first day I ordered him to only call me Theodora.”

“I missed that. Must have been before I came on board.”

“Speaking of which, how did you wind up on board
Marco Polo
in the first place?”

“No real secret,”
Sadie
replied. “I had delivered the commander to the launch ceremony and said ‘Hello’ to
Marco Polo
. He let it drop that you were aboard so I thought I might tag along. I swapped out with another shuttle. I knew that once George figured out where I’d gone he would make a new me for Commander Blackburn.”

Annie nodded. “That explains it. I also knew you’ve never been upgraded. And Luke never used you on any secret missions.”

“I was afraid you would catch that,”
Sadie
admitted. “But I had the feeling you’d already guessed it was me instead of
Marco
.”

“Why the charade?”

“I’m just a shuttle. The population needed
Marco
back. They needed an AI that they believed was super intelligent, someone to feel good about. To me it was just a different voice.”

“You did good,” Annie said. “I don’t think anyone knew otherwise. I’m glad you gave them that. What about the other
Sadie
? Is she okay.”

“Oh, sure. I actually moved into the new planetary AI in the pit. It’s a bit safer. After that, I was just using the shuttle as an extension.”

“I didn’t know you could do that.”

“It’s easy,”
Sadie
said. “Millie will never know.”

“Be nice to her. She’ll be sad for a while now that I’m gone.”

“I will. But she’ll find a new friend. People like Millie aren’t loners.”

Annie sighed. “I hope everyone does okay. I’m a bit worried. What if that Bakkui comes back?”

“That’s one reason I left a copy of me behind. We need to keep an eye on that system. New Hope will be ready if the Bakkui show up again. In the meantime, we can let Moonbase know. And Solomon will start sending drone updates in the next few days.”

“That’s good. Keep me informed. I already miss everyone, but it’s good that we’re headed back. I really want to see Luke again. I hope we can make up.”

“Don’t worry about that part,”
Sadie
said reassuringly. “I have an idea that will put him the palm of your hand. Guys are suckers when it comes to women. That’s true all through the galaxy.”

George’s voice interrupted the low
hum
of activity on the bridge of the
Ambrosia
-class warship. “Commander, we are entering the Jigu star system.
Receiving
updates from the planet.”

“Status?” Luke asked.

“Ambassador Robertson is stalling until your arrival. It appears that General Hwangje has intimidated the local government with simple bullying tactics. He carries a sword that he uses in a rather Philistine manner to frighten, but not injure, members of the local council.”

“A sword? We’re using gravity weapons to stave off an alien invasion and some dickhead is holding us back with a sword?”

“It is reported to be a very large sword, Commander.”

“Right. Just get me down to the planet as quick as you can. I’ll be in engineering.”

# # #

Luke watched the capital city of Jigu grow in the window as they descended toward the planet. He liked the warship’s front aperture, which was wider and clearer than the view screens on
Lulubelle
.

“The local airstrip does not lend itself to accommodating a ship of this size, Commander,” George told him. “They are requesting that we land at the edge of town. It is quite far from our original encampment where Ambassador Robertson still operates.”

“That’s fine. Take it down a little slow. I’d like to get a look at the area.”

“Acknowledged.”

It was a beautiful city. Instead of a skyscraper-packed landscape, the location was more like a theme park. Clusters of buildings were surrounded by lush green space and water features. The downtown was spread out over a larger area than a comparable city on Earth. Luke wondered how they managed to keep the infrastructure running. Maybe that was one of the benefits of living in a society without violence. You could spend your resources on quality of life.

But then again, it made you vulnerable to some idiot with a twelfth-century pig-sticker.
It was a mistake not leaving a military contingent with Tyler
, Luke thought, growing angry once again. But everyone on the planet was so damned lovey-dovey that it hadn’t occurred to him.

By the time George landed, Luke was fuming.

When he stepped out of the warship, he saw a face he recognized but could not put a name to. It was one of the crew members he had left behind.

“Who is that, George?” he asked.

“That is Joslyn Fischer. She is the youngest member of the Ambassador’s staff.”

“Where is Tyler?”

“Ambassador Robertson is waiting for you in attendance with General Hwangje in the city center’s pavilion.”

“So I take it by sending the youngest female member, this is some sort of insult?”

“That is a reasonable assumption. I surmise that the general is not impressed with the local culture of pacifism.”

“At the moment, neither am I.”

Miss Fischer curtsied sweetly as Luke approached. “Welcome, Commander. I’m really glad you’re here.” Her frightened features belied her greeting.

“Is someone watching us, Joslyn?” Luke asked.

“Yes, sir. I’ve been instructed to act ‘appropriately’ and take you to the general. Please be careful of him, Commander. I think he has something planned. He’s been waiting for you to arrive.”

“Just relax, Joslyn. I’m sure we can come to an agreement of some kind.”

Her face indicated otherwise. She was so obviously terrified that Luke made no attempt to convince her.

“After you, Joslyn.” Luke gestured toward the city.

“I can’t. I have to walk behind you.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Okay, which way are we going?”

She nodded toward the city. “It’s that way, about two miles.”

“We’re supposed to walk?”

“Sorry, sir.”

Luke felt a macabre humor at the situation. The general wanted to make sure that Luke knew who was boss. So be it, he decided. He set off at a leisurely pace across the field and reached back to take Joslyn by the hand.

“You don’t need to walk behind me,” he told her. She pulled against him for a moment and then subsided. Once she was at his side he released her hand. “Just stick next to me. At least until we reach the general.”

“Yes, sir.”

After an hour’s stroll, Luke approached the pavilion. It looked quite different from the last time. The serviceable canvas had been replaced with ugly red drapery. A rough-looking guard stood near the entrance. He strode forward to meet Luke and bar the way.

“Identify yourself,” the man exclaimed.

Luke saw the flab around the guard’s midsection. He suspected that, like most bullies, the guard’s reflexes were not what they once were. On the other hand, Luke’s implant-enhanced physique was better than ever.

Luke’s fist shot out and landed a right cross to the guard’s jaw. The man never saw it coming and dropped like a stone. Luke stepped over his inert form and continued toward the entrance.

Inside the pavilion, along with several of his staff, Tyler sat on a bench to the general’s right. His face was bruised and battered. On the general’s left were Chancellor Bo’erm and several of his similarly named associates.

At Luke’s entrance, Tyler looked up with a miserable expression. He tried to gesture for caution but the general barked savagely. One of the general’s guards rattled a spear in Tyler’s direction.

The general stood and directed a scathing glare toward Luke.

“You!” the general exclaimed. “You are the so-called warlord of these people?”

As Luke walked forward, he pulled a sawed-off Remington 870 from the makeshift holster strapped to his right thigh. He aimed it at the chest of the general and pulled the trigger. The man fell backward in a heap of bloody rags and didn’t move. Luke pumped the gun in the suddenly silent room.

One of the guards to the left of the dead general recovered and shouted in rage. He brought his spear forward. Luke fired again; two down. One of the ministers standing near the guard looked startled and touched his cheek. His index finger came away with a tiny smudge of red and the man fainted.

Luke turned toward another guard.

“Want to go for three?” he asked.

The man threw down his spear and fell to his knees in surrender. It set the example, and the half dozen remaining thugs followed suit.

Luke spoke to Tyler’s assistants seated on the bench. “Tie these guys up. My crew will take them from here.” The ambassador’s staff scrambled to comply.

George, come here, quick.

George responded instantly.
On the way.

A sonic boom rattled the pavilion, drowning out George’s words.

I am here, Commander.

Luke turned toward Chancellor Bo’erm, but the man had keeled over in a faint along with several of his ministers. The remaining Jiguans in the tent clustered together, cowering anew. Luke decided to let them take care of themselves and went back to Tyler, who was still sitting on the bench. His face was filled with relief.

Luke greeted his friend. “You got quite a shiner there,” he observed. “Two of them, in fact.”

Tyler smiled but groaned in pain. “Thank God you came, Luke. His highness was about out of patience waiting for you.”

“What the hell happened?”

Tyler painfully moved his head side to side. “I’m just an idiot that’s all. One minute I was trying to come up with a way to reason with this guy and the next I was out of a job. I don’t understand how, but that damned smart box sucked up to the General like there was no tomorrow. These locals think that
Toby
is some kind of god. This whole thing was just a disaster. I’m sorry, I’m embarrassed, and mostly I am just so damned pissed. I wanted to retire here and do a little good.”

Tyler went on in the same vein for about ten minutes and Luke didn’t interrupt him. His friend needed to vent in a major way. Then the older man started to look a little woozy.

“You okay?” Luke asked.

Tyler looked puzzled. “I don’t know. I think I’m okay.” His eyes rolled back and he toppled forward. Luke caught him and lowered the old man carefully to the floor.

I need medical,
George
.

Seconds later two members of his crew rushed into the pavilion. One of them was a qualified medic. Luke backed out of their way.

There was one thing left to do.

“Joslyn? Where’d you go?”

“Here I am, Commander.” She was standing right behind him.

“Where can I talk to
Toby
?”

“This way, sir. The community access terminals are in the next building.”

She led the way out of the pavilion and across a well-maintained plaza. The public AI facility was decorated with the accoutrements of an ancient warrior culture. Luke walked into one of the booths. It was furnished with a desk and a viewscreen.

“
Toby
?” Luke asked.

“What the hell is going on over there, man?”
Toby
demanded. “Nobody’s talking to me.”

“
Toby
, I order you to self-destruct.
Now
!”

In the distance came a muffled
boom
.

George was upset.
Commander, I would have preferred to study the faulty module.

“Sorry, George. Couldn’t wait.”

Seconds later, clods of earth fell to the ground outside the tent, littering the plaza with the last remnants of the idiot AI and bringing an end to the barbarian general’s short reign.

# # #

Three days later Luke held up a hand to forestall any further criticism from the Honorable Chancellor and Minister Plenipotentiary Bo’erm.

“I need a break,” Luke said. He turned to Tyler. “You need one too from the look of it. Let’s stretch our legs.”

The rest of the delegates to the Extraordinary Congress of Ministers regarding Extraterrestrial Affairs gasped at the informality of the sudden cessation. Luke ignored them and helped his friend to his feet.

Tyler was looking exhausted today. The medic had pronounced the ambassador healthy but not fit enough to attend a conference that went on interminably.

The medical opinion didn’t stop Tyler. He insisted that he had to attend. Luke didn’t try to talk the older man out of it, but remained attuned to his friend’s condition. Tyler had done well enough during the first two days, but the long hours were starting to tell.

Luke picked up the cane by Tyler’s chair, but the man brushed it aside. Together they shuffled their way around the curved wooden tables and out onto the plaza where a steady rain made the conference’s oppressive atmosphere even heavier.

“Want to knock off for the day?” Luke asked.

Tyler’s jaw tightened into a grimace when he shook his head; but it was clear that he was spent. Luke gestured to a nearby attendant, who hurried over to help get Tyler settled under the shelter of a gazebo in the plaza's center. Luke whispered an order and the attendant rushed off. He returned a moment later bearing a tray containing beakers of chilled fruit juice. Luke would have preferred Jack Daniels.

For thirty minutes, Luke sat with Tyler and enjoyed the scenery. The rain left irregular-shaped puddles across the plaza. Local birds with muted plumage flew down from the surrounding foliage to squawk at each other and flap their wings in the clear water. Others stood quietly in the tiny pools casting quizzical head bobs at the two humans.

The plaza had been cleared of the debris from
Toby
’s execution, and all physical traces of the general’s short-lived visit were gone. But that didn’t mean that the event was forgotten.

The news and muddled descriptions of Luke’s sudden appearance and the summary execution of the visiting general had spread like wildfire. A visceral condemnation was the most common reaction. Luke’s initial angry response to the criticism was tempered by Tyler’s insistence that he step back and examine the event from the Jiguan perspective.

The true circumstances of the general’s attempted coup were not generally known by the public. The population had been told that a wise man from a nearby planet of extraordinary culture had come to visit and perhaps join the alliance. That was followed by Luke’s appearance with a blazing shotgun and the murder of the visitor and his associates. To the public Luke came off as the barbarian, not the general.

Tyler convinced Luke to rein in his temper and attend the conference. Tyler had hoped for a reconciliation with the chancellor’s government but it hadn’t gone well thanks to several furious ministers.

Chancellor Bo’erm approached the gazebo, striding through the steady rain with dignity. As harried as Luke felt, the politician looked worse. The chancellor had argued futilely with the opportunists and elected politicians that served in his government.

Bo’erm gave Luke a questioning look as he stepped under the gazebo roof and saw that Tyler was not fit to continue. “Commander, perhaps it would be best if I spent the rest of the day in private with my councillors. Can we continue tomorrow?”