“Any chance he’ll stop that pacing?” Ezekiel Denham asked Bogrin across the chessboard.
The Sekoi Blend chuckled. “Who?” He moved his queen’s knight to threaten Ezekiel’s king’s bishop.
On the other side of the room Trissk prowled randomly, poking at brass and wood controls, which Ezekiel had ordered Steadfast Roger to disable, of course. Along the opposite wall, Spooky Nguyen paced a more deliberate course to and fro in front of a row of viewports, smoke trailing alternately from his lips and cigar.
“Trissk, I meant. I wonder if a ball of yarn would distract him?”
The gray-skinned alien stared at Ezekiel for a moment and then shrugged. Ezekiel realized that human reference was probably a bit too obscure for the Sekoi. “A traditional plaything of the domestic felines of Earth.”
“Ah. It is your move.”
“So it is.” For want of something better to do, the human Blend took Bogrin’s knight with his queen’s bishop, a sacrifice initiating a series of poor trades.
“Your mind is not on the game.”
“I know. This trip is taking a long time. Maybe we shouldn’t have brought Trissk along. His brain doesn’t mesh well with the bio-VR we’re in, so I can’t slow our time senses further, and he doesn’t want to fight any more illusionary opponents.”
“You could put him to sleep.”
Ezekiel shook his head. “Not against his will, I won’t. Start down that road and I’ll be no better than a Meme Blend. It’s already hard enough to convince people I’m human without playing godling.”
Bogrin moved a rook. “Check.” He stood up. “I have an idea, which should have come to me before.” Walking over to Spooky, he spoke a few words in the slim Vietnamese highlander’s ear and then returned to the chessboard.
“What did you say?” Ezekiel asked.
Instead of answering, Bogrin flicked his eyes in Spooky’s direction. Ezekiel watched as he crossed the room to Trissk and bowed. The Ryss’ eyes lit up and a moment later a circular sparring mat appeared on the floor of the room as the walls receded to accommodate it.
“Brilliant. That should keep him busy for an hour or two.”
“I think you underestimate your Mister Nguyen,” Bogrin replied, watching the two step into the circle. “He is a master of human unarmed combat styles, and has become quite adept at the Sekoi disciplines as well. If Trissk is willing, he has a lifetime of study ahead of him.”
“Great. Let’s make the Ryss even more combative.”
Bogrin stared at Ezekiel. “I see you do not understand the martial arts.”
“Not my thing, I guess.” Ezekiel moved his remaining bishop to fork Bogrin’s two rooks.
“Neither is chess,” Bogrin replied as he sent his queen across the board toward Ezekiel’s king. “Mate, I believe.”
“Suckered again.” Ezekiel shrugged and tipped his king, then stood up to look at the bank of steampunk-inspired controls, dials and gauges. “How’s the search coming, Roger?”
The living ship replied, “I have twenty-three Sentries suborned thus far, and several more should be taken within the next day, but as you know, the space in the outer Solar System is quite large. Statistically, it could take months to find your mother.”
“That’s assuming she is out here rather than on Earth or elsewhere. If we can find our old base, at least we’ll have a starting point.”
“Months?” Bogrin said as he stepped up beside Ezekiel. “Perhaps we should change our strategy. Eventually the situation will be untenable. What is the English translation – ‘cabin fever’?”
“Yes. When it gets unbearable, we’ll leave the Sentries to keep searching, and rendezvous with Conquest...or perhaps try to sneak down to Earth to make contact with the resistance movement.”
“If there is such a thing.”
Ezekiel rounded on the ponderous alien. “You better believe there is, and I guarantee my brothers and sisters are at the center of it. They’re brilliant, and Mother trained them for every contingency. Don’t underestimate them.”
“Don’t underestimate first-generation Meme blends either, my friend. Until they become thoroughly corrupt with power and bored with naked excess, they will be loyal to the Empire. If they have any inkling that there are disloyal Blends among them, they will ruthlessly hunt them down.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Bogrin shrugged. “In any case, what has been, has been. Conquest’s arrival in-system will work in any resistance movement’s favor, just as it did on Koio. Hope of freedom is a powerful energizing drug. If there was no movement before, one will spring up. Many will die on the road to liberation.” He chuckled incongruously.
“That’s what I love about your people, Bogrin. Always up for a laugh.” Ezekiel turned to watch Spooky and Trissk sparring.