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NEXT BIG ADVENTURE? Right. So far, Aljanah Five Station was a real orbit-killer. No one took Q seriously or let her do anything. The Guardians didn’t trust her, so they wouldn’t let her work on their net, even though the Travelers told them she was knowledgeable and helpful. She couldn’t demonstrate her competence by breaking into their net or she’d prove she wasn’t trustworthy.
Q kicked her feet like a frustrated little kid on the too-tall chair. The Travelers were still debating if they could allow non-believers to touch their precious soothing stones let alone train them to use the stones correctly. If Q still had all Kathe’s credits, she’d buy a big stone of her own, but they were living on the last of them. They were okay for a month, maybe two, before she had to find a real job. Sharing a hostel compartment on the station with Lashtar was a little awkward, but it saved credits.
Although, it wasn’t awkward because Lashtar spent all day, every day with various Traveler factions, trying to find a compromise or accommodation. The two of them sparred every other day, but otherwise, the only time they saw each other was just before falling asleep, if then. The Travelers and the Guardians both offered to host them, but Lashtar thought it was wiser to stay in a neutral location.
The Zache had simply disappeared. Nobody knew where they went or even how to find them. It was all a big waiting game, and Q hated waiting. Especially when she had nothing real to do. At least they’d finally gotten a message from Ruth; she found a reliable fold transport company and was making her way here. Q wondered who was willing; commercial folders weren’t fond of heavily-armed passengers, and there was no way Ruth would travel with less than full personal protection. Q snickered. Ruth might secure her rifles in a container, but even that was asking a lot of her.
Even worse, they didn’t have a job for Ruth yet. The Guardians insisted they had everything under control; they didn’t need help. Which was just stupid. They didn’t have nearly enough space forces to defend themselves against a medium-size merc company, let alone a big attack similar to Westly’s massive remote attack on Sirius. Which was even more ominous now that Q knew it was an ancient evil AI behind the attack, one that wanted to destroy all biological life.
But sometimes, people just didn’t want to listen. Q had learned that a long time ago. So, here she was, competing in net games, bored out of her mind. She’d do something else, but if she was in the public areas of the station and not fully engaged in something, the visiting Travelers were constantly chatting her up. Both men and women flirted with her, the kids wanted to play with her, and the elderly wanted to lecture her on her lack of piety like she was one of them. Even when one of the paters scowled or called her derisive names in their language, it only stopped the Travelers around her for a few moments. Once the pater moved on, they went back to talking at her.
Why were so many of the Travelers attracted to her? From what Q had seen, they weren’t nearly as determined with any other human, so it wasn’t her looks or her age. Whatever it was, she was tired of it.
At least Q found a way to make some credits while she played net games. Betting for and against herself was amusing. She used a different identity for each game and a variety of hidden identities through various bookies and brokers for betting. Each identity was hidden beneath different layers and locations and trapped to alert her if someone was trying to trace her. To play, she used an anonymously rented game compartment in a lower level of the station. It wasn’t a particularly good setup but it did the job. She was also careful to block any vid of her person coming and going from the gaming compartments and to make small bets. Big credits would bring big attention, and they didn’t need big credits, just enough to live on. Despite those low-level thrills, Q was bored. Still, bored was better than a Familia slave.
Maybe when this Doc person showed up or one of the AIs, maybe then Q would have something real to do. She’d considered doing contract net work for folders and shuttles coming into Aljanah, but that would expose her identity too much. Familia might find her. She didn’t want to chance taking credits for a real job from anyone for the same reason. If she was still using Secundus’s net, it would be easy, but here? She didn’t know the net inside and out like she did there. She’d make a mistake, then she’d be in big trouble.
Until their circumstances changed, she’d just have to lay low and earn enough credits in the small-time games to pay for their room and board.
#
Q STRODE THROUGH THE back passageways of Aljanah Five Station, trying to lose her tail without drawing too much attention to herself. She chose lift tubes and ladders randomly, going up and down station levels and through the kilometers of corridors. She wasn’t sure who was following her or what their motivations were, but she didn’t want any kind of confrontation without Lashtar to back her up. Taking a lift tube, she went down. One level before her hostel’s level, she dove out of the lift tube and swiped through her holo to find the maintenance hatch access she had set up as an emergency escape when they first got to the station. She’d learned a lot from her experiences on Valenti Station. Namely, always have backdoors and escapes set up, ready to use. Better to have it and not need it than need a retreat and not have it ready. Since there wasn’t a Below on Aljanah Five, these back corridors were the perfect escape.
Q turned the corner, remotely opening the hatch near the decking. She dove and slid inside, closing it behind her before her pursuers reached the corner. Silently sliding backward, Q found the ladder and climbed. Even if her tail found this maintenance access and explored it, they’d assume she’d go down to her hostel level. Which she wouldn’t because someone would be waiting there too. Reaching the next level up, she traveled the cramped maintenance way, parallel to the public corridor, her e-torc throwing a dim, red glow, just enough to prevent her from tripping over anything.
Q padded to the outer rings of the station, closer to an Aljanah Station security kiosk. Finally, she reached the end of the maintenance area. In front of her was a wall containing a variety of hatches, each labeled with an undescriptive alphanumeric code, but she’d discovered what the codes meant. The net fiber hatch was too small, but the air return was just big enough for her.
Q opened the air return, pulling a small O2 concentrator mask off the bulkhead at the same time, then jumped up and wriggled into the barely big enough tube. Commanding the hatch to close, Q put the concentrator over her mouth and nose and started wriggling. After just a few minutes, she was sweating. There wasn’t much room in the ducting and it was super smooth to reduce the cost of pushing air.
Q considered bringing up vid of the maintenance area she’d just left, to see if the people following her found her escape route. But that wouldn’t be useful. She should concentrate on her destination. If the people following her figured out where she went and had access to the Station’s air controls, they could remove all the air, then she’d be in real trouble. Faster was better and safer. She should have left a pair of suction cup wall-climbers in the maintenance compartment along with the O2 concentrator, but they’d be so obvious. Hidden things could be found, and that kind of attention might cause the Guardians to add security she couldn’t get through. As it was, it took a lucky break for her to get these access codes. The O2 concentrator didn’t need hiding—it could be standard emergency equipment on any station.
Q knew she was leaving a pretty plain DNA trail—a lot of her sweat was soaked up by her clothes, but not all of it. Maybe she could find a duct cleaner and route it this way after she got out of the air return? She chanced running into a cleaner anyway, so she should put it to good use. Q made a mental note to tell the Guardians how vulnerable their air handling system was—after she left the station.
Q wiggled, slid, and pulled her way to the next access. This wasn’t the most ideal location to leave her concealment, but in this corridor, she had the least risk of being caught. Bringing up the station vids, she surveyed the public corridor outside the maintenance access. Nothing moved. Then she checked the surrounding corridors and all the maintenance areas nearby. Still nothing. This wasn’t a popular part of the station; it held a lot of station worker residences and small business offices. But she hesitated. It didn’t feel right—there should be more activity.
Going with her instincts, Q checked the next access hatch, along with the surrounding area. Nothing much going on there either, but there were a few individuals, some carrying groceries, some dressed for a day at work. The scene looked normal—and felt far less perilous. Pulling herself along, she reached that hatch and checked again and then let herself out of the air return duct.
Lowering herself carefully into the maintenance compartment to prevent a thud on landing, Q secured the air return access hatch. She checked the corridor vids again and exited the tiny maintenance area, plodding like she was headed home after a long shift. A security kiosk was just ahead: at the next crossing corridor, she’d take a right then a left, and she’d be there.
The percussion of armored boots on plas echoed down the corridor. Blast! Q broke into a sprint, careening around the corners. A station security person stood in front of the security kiosk. Odd—those kiosks weren’t normally manned. Was this person really station security or someone dressed to look like one of them? It was too late to do anything but keep sprinting and fight her way out if she had to.
The being—Q was pretty sure it was a human male—stepped away from the security kiosk and blocked the corridor, arms out to catch her. Uh oh. Q put her head down and kicked into race mode, zigging and zagging to avoid getting stunned and glancing up every second or so to check the distance remaining. At the last second, Q dove between the person’s legs, rolled, jumped up, and kept running. She changed corridors and levels randomly, making her way back to the station’s center, using her lack of height to get lost in the rare crowds. If she could reach the shopping and park plaza, there was a security station with real Guardians inside.
Q slowed to a jog, checking the station vids ahead of her, and made one final dash across the station center plaza, sprinting for the security station. She slammed into the hatch and put her hand on the sensor. The hatch opened and let her in.
The armored person inside asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Being followed,” Q gasped. She sent an urgent notification to Lashtar, just in case whoever it was after both of them.
“Do you know who?”
“No.” Q shook her head. Suspicions, sure. Know? No.
“I see. Identification?”
Q sent the guard the electronic token the Guardians gave her and Lashtar to keep their identities off the public net. She slowed her breathing and walked in place to prevent her muscles from cooling off too fast.
“I see.” A hatch opened to her left, and the security person’s helmet cleared, letting Q see her face. “Come this way, we’ll get you out of public view.” The woman closed the hatch behind her and led her to what looked like a small breakroom. “Can you give me a location history, showing where you noticed the tail and where you went from there? We’ll figure out who it is.”
Oops. “I had it off, but I can build you one. It won’t have precise time tags, but I can make it close.” And not give away my maintenance tunnel escapes.
“You should have location history on. Otherwise, if you get lost, it’s harder to find your way back.”
Q chuckled. “If I got lost that easily, I would have been eaten a long time ago. I have a very good sense of direction.” Besides, that was ridiculous. All she had to do was bring up a public map. It was simply station security wanting to track everyone all the time.
The weak smile she got in return confirmed that notion. “I see. Well, I’ll return to my duties. If you need anything, please let me know.”
“Thanks,” Q told her. As the hatch closed behind the security officer, Lashtar contacted her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m in the mid-station security post. I got done with my Fringe War 300 competition and was heading back to the hostel when someone started tailing me.”
Lashtar’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”
“I don’t know—yet.” Q smirked. “I’ll find out.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t answer when you called. I’m still negotiating.” She sighed. “But we have help coming now. Medico Holliday and former Chief Master Sergeant Porter are inbound. The Time Guild hired Medico Holliday to head their research team. Can you meet them and get them a room or two near us? I’m sending their info to you now.”
“Sure. That’s on a very public area of the station, so I should be fine.”
Lashtar chuckled. “From what I’ve heard, once you meet up with them, you won’t need to worry about anything short of a military invasion.”
“I guess there’s safety in numbers.” Q didn’t need someone else smothering her. She could escape and fight just fine. She’d just proven that.
“That’s not what I meant.” Lashtar shook her head. “But never mind. We’ll strategize tonight, but I’m pretty sure Doc will be taking over negotiations for me, thank the Mother. You can introduce Porter, and maybe she can convince the Guardians they really do need help.”
Q sneered. “We can hope, but I doubt it.” The Guardians were being stupid. They didn’t even know what could happen on their own station.
“That’s okay, I’ve got enough for both of us.” She winked. “Lashtar out.”
Q laughed. Seeing the usually solemn Lashtar do something so silly struck her funny bone. She checked the arrival information. There was more than enough time to reconstruct her route with time tags for security and do a little snooping.
As she did the rather mindless task of cleaning her location history, Q wondered who was after her this time. Did a Familia agent spot her? Or maybe it was a local, upset about her wins? Or was it more Travelers, tired of the soft sell, going for a more permanent way to get her on board despite the religious objections? Or something even more sinister?
There was no way to know until she could find a pic or a vid and track the person down. Even then, it wouldn’t be easy.
#
“YOU MUST BE Q,” THE woman, Porter, said. With her short, black hair, slightly tilted brown eyes, and lightly lined, gold-brown skin, she looked like an older version of Katryn. And just like Katryn, Porter might be small, but she wasn’t someone to ignore. She practically radiated calm, cool competence, and her stiff stance—legs spread, hands behind her back—screamed military professional.
“Yep, that’s me.”
The man looked back and forth between the two of them. “She could be your kid, Porter.” He snort-laughed and turned to face Q. “I’m Medico Holliday. Call me Doc.” He was about Tyron’s height, milky-white skin dotted with small freckles, almost black hair, and a sexy smolder. From the way he lounged against the wall, he’d shed the military attitude with his uniform. With his looks, he might have as much trouble with the Travelers as she did.
“Sure. Got all your gear?”
“Some of it’s coming later,” Porter said. “Gov Human is cheap. Anything but a single luggage float goes cargo.”
“You need more than a single luggage float? From what I saw on General Kerr’s flagship, you don’t get much room.”
They chuckled. Porter said, “We’re senior enough to have compartments on Antlia Five Station, and Doc, here, has family connections.”
Q scowled.
“Family, not Familia, Q,” Doc said. “Not that it matters. I can’t stand either one of them.”
“So, what can you tell us about the situation?” Porter asked before Q could ask what Doc meant.
“We shouldn’t talk out here. Are you hungry or do you want to get a place to stay first?”
They shot glances at each other. “We’re staying on the station but not with Security?” Porter asked.
“Negotiations are slow.” Q grimaced. “They’re always slow with the Travelers, and the Guardians aren’t any better. Lashtar decided it was better to stay neutral and not rely on either one until we get things settled.”
“Noted.” Porter nodded once. “Well, I’m not fussy, I’ll stay anywhere safe. Doc?”
Brows pinched, he said, “I don’t care either because we’ll get this resolved right away.”
Q snorted. “Good luck.”
“You don’t think I can do it?” Doc tilted his head and smirked.
“No. The Travelers are different. It’s never easy.” He’d learn, real fast. He was obviously used to getting his way, with charm or credits or both. But the Travelers could out-charm Doc easily.
“We’ll see,” Porter said. “Let’s go. On the way, tell us about the Station, particularly safety.”
Q shrugged one shoulder. “It’s a pretty standard multilevel station. Safety isn’t usually a concern. The beings—mostly humans or other bipedals—who come here are either mining, selling, or buying soothing stones. Stealing them isn’t unheard of but almost impossible once you make it to the station. There’s a lot of security around the retrieval and transport of the stones. There’s the usual crime you get anywhere with humans—intoxication, stupid arguments, gambling, and that kind of thing, but Station Security is pretty good. Not only that, but there’s no Station Below here. The Guardians of Aljanah do all the work on the station and any Guardian or citizen of Aljanah Three from any profession can apply to be in security, so you don’t see a lot of worker unrest.”
“Interesting,” Porter said.
“Small, homogeneous population. It makes sense,” Doc said.
“Homo-what?”
“Homogeneous. Same. All the people are brought up with the same basic values, opportunities, and education.”
Q frowned at him. “You’re going to do that annoying ‘let’s make sure she gets a real education’ thing, aren’t you?”
Porter snorted. “He’s constantly blasting us with stuff like that. It’s annoying, and then one day, you find yourself doing the same thing or quoting some fact.”
Doc laughed. “Guilty. I like teaching. I like helping people learn.”
“Great.”
“Isn’t it?” Porter lifted one brow.
They made their way to the lower level of the Station, to the cheap hostel Lashtar chose. Q noticed both Porter and Doc surveyed their surroundings like Ruhger did—ready for something to jump out and attack them at any moment. The only difference was Doc’s flirtatious manner, smiling warmly at everyone they passed—the Travelers would love him or hate him.
Lashtar was waiting for them at their hostel compartment. “Porter, Doc, good to meet you in person.”
“Same. Any progress?” Porter asked.
“Not really. Lots of arguments, religious and otherwise. It’s exhausting.” Lashtar slumped against the wall, eyes hooded.
“Well, let’s get to it then.” Doc pointed an imperious finger at the hatch.
“Bossy much?” Q muttered.
“Yes,” all three of them replied.
Great. Three authoritarians and one minion—Q. Guess she’d be spending more time playing net games. Lashtar opened the hatch. Q gasped. The room was torn apart, clothing flung everywhere, bedding ripped off, mattresses flipped. Good thing they never left anything important here.
“Well, someone’s not happy with one or both of you,” Porter said. She turned to her luggage float, unlatched it, and pulled out a stunner. “Not my preferred weapon, but the one I’ve got right now. Anything critical in there?”
“No,” Lashtar answered at the same time Q did.
“Doc, find us a better hotel. Lashtar, Q, pack your stuff. Check for bugs and trackers.”
“Already on it,” Doc said.
Lashtar shot a look at Porter but entered and pulled out her carrysack. “I’ll get my weapons back from the Guardians.”
Q pulled up a scanning routine on her e-torc. “Working.”
“We’ll worry about who and how later; safety now.”
Maybe the person following her was more dangerous than she thought. Q found a little bug and stuck it in an insulating bag. Maybe it wasn’t just her and Familia or the net games. Maybe it was Lightwave, the Travelers, the soothing stones, or the Sa’sa. Maybe all of them. She sighed and started packing.
#
“WOW, YOU CAN AFFORD this?” Q gaped as she turned in the middle of the luxurious suite. Four separate sleeping compartments, with individual sani-mods, and a comfortable living area with a galley-style kitchen. Top-notch auto-bev too; spinning through the menu on her e-torc, it included alcohol and several varieties of coffee and tea. The rooms were lovely, decorated in warm shades of cream, chocolate, and ebony, with splashes of green and yellow, and it smelled like freshly baked fruit pie. It all screamed “expensive” without doing anything so tacky as screaming.
Doc just shrugged a shoulder and tasted his drink, something he’d made dubious comments about when he made the choice. “Hmm, not bad for a local product.” He nodded slowly. “Okay, I can live with this.”
“Aljanah Three is a productive world,” Lashtar said. “If I’d known about it, I would have suggested the Sisters move there after we got kicked off Cygnus Gliese.”
Porter frowned at the decking, scuffing her boot into the deep nap of the carpet. “It’s interesting how little is known about this system when the famous soothing stones come from here. They’ve got some excellent psyops.”
Q asked, “Sci-what?”
“Psychological Operations,” Porter replied. “It’s winning hearts and minds in a wartime setting. But here, they’ve emphasized the difficulty of mining soothing stones and made enough of the struggle to completely divert attention from everything else in the system. I wonder if the mining death rates are exaggerated?”
“They might be,” Lashtar said. “I’ve seen very little real data, and the Travelers think nothing of lying to outsiders.” She tilted her head back and forth. “I shouldn’t say that. They don’t outright lie, but omit the truth or twist a truth? Yes. All the time. The Guardians do the same.”
“They’re essentially the same culture, without the traveling around, right?” Porter asked.
“Essentially,” Lashtar told them. “The religion is the same, the few advanced schools the Travelers attend are mostly on Aljanah Three, and there are entertainment areas designed specifically for the Travelers. The Guardians are a safe haven and support system. They even intermarry a little, although it’s discouraged by the Travelers.” Lashtar grimaced. “Travelers must travel, it has been seen,” she mimicked Dika’s high-pitched voice.
Q winced. She’d heard that whiny voice in her sleep.
“Well, since any test protocol must, by definition, include a lot of traveling, I’d think this would be an easy decision.” Doc raised his brows but didn’t move from his lazy lean against the auto-bev counter.
Lashtar’s expression turned grim. “It’s the religious implications. There are religious hardliners in both the Travelers and the Guardians, in all facets of the leadership.”
Doc asked, “If we get large enough stones, do we know enough to try it on our own?”
Lashtar looked at Q. Q frowned skeptically, but Lashtar motioned for Q to talk. Q sighed. “No. I don’t anyway, and Saree says she’s doing something completely different. I guess I could try, but how do we know if I succeed?”
“We absolutely need Saree or the Sa’sa,” Doc said. “We need a control and a measurement system. I’d prefer Saree, because the Sa’sa are hard to talk to, especially for something like this.”
“Saree has a translator but it’s not perfect,” Q told him.
“That’s better than nothing.” Doc gazed into the distance. “Well, even if we have to argue about how and when and use the Sa’sa rather than Saree, I can still draw up a testing protocol easily enough. We’ll start with humans, refine the protocol, then spread to other humanoid species, then non-humanoid oxy breathers, then non-oxys if they’re interested.”
Porter shook her head. “You can offer, but I don’t think the non-oxys will be interested in using this method. They have a different system of folding that allows them to fold into a system much closer to planets and suns. I’ve never heard of their folds creating havoc in the fold orbits either.”
“I wonder if anyone’s ever tracked the effects?” Doc asked. “It’s so rare in our systems there wouldn’t be a reason to do so, but it would be interesting.”
“I think we’ve got enough interesting right here and now,” Lashtar said.
Porter snorted. “I’m with you. So, you don’t think the Guardians will want to hire me after all?”
“I don’t know anymore,” Lashtar said. “I can’t tell which way they’re going to jump.”
“Well, if they don’t want you, I do,” Doc told Porter. “I’ll need someone to run security on whatever folder we end up on. If we can avoid it, I’d rather not to be on a Traveler folder, which means I need a folder captain.”
“Really?” Q asked. “Why?”
“Academic neutrality. It’s difficult to remain unbiased when you’re living with the subjects of your study.”
Q smirked. “It’s particularly hard to stay neutral with the Travelers.”
“It’s hard for you, Quinn, not the rest of us,” Lashtar said.
“What do you mean?” Doc asked Lashtar, glancing between the two of them.
“The Travelers have always been interested or downright fascinated by Qui—sorry, Q.” Lashtar shrugged. “I don’t know why.”
“Perhaps they sense she can use the soothing stones,” Doc said.
“Or maybe it’s just her ‘exotic looks’ compared to their norm,” Porter said wryly. “The differing human genetics?”
“I doubt it,” Lashtar said. “While they tend to dark tan skin with dark brown hair and eyes, it’s not unusual to see the whole range of human physical characteristics. They don’t seem to have any strong biases based on appearance. No, I think it’s the soothing stone connection. Even when she was very young, the Travelers paid a lot of attention to Q. I thought one group might adopt her, but they had to leave unexpectedly.”
Q sniffed. “I can guess why.”
“No, for once, it wasn’t a pregnant Sister. I don’t know what it was. I never saw that particular clan again. But that’s not unusual. There’s not that many of them and there was no reason for them to come back to Cygnus Gliese.”
“Well, this is all fascinating, but I want to know who’s after the two of you right now,” Porter said. “That’s the immediate threat.”
“True,” Lashtar said. “It could be the religious fanatics. They’ve made no secret of their hatred of me—the idea of a female deity gives them hives. But it’s a peaceful religion and the Travelers try to avoid conflict. Usually, they just leave. I think, even though they can’t simply leave this situation, that it’s more likely something to do with Q.”
Q frowned but nodded. “Probably. Familia is after me, and not just any Familia, but the Head Enforcer, Enzo. And I’ve been earning credits in the net games, so maybe someone’s upset about my wins? It’s small stuff, though. I’ve been careful to not get greedy.”
“Familia?” Porter scowled, hands on hips. “What did you do to attract the Head Enforcer’s notice?”
Q copied her stance. “Nothing.”
When Porter and Doc both leveled skeptical looks at her, she threw up both hands and scowled. “Well, it’s true. I left the Sisters a few years ago for a net academy. Unknown to all of us, Adzari Academy was acquired by Familia. So, they were claiming the scholarships had to be repaid with service.”
Doc scowled. “Typical. Indentured servitude leading to all-out slavery.”
“Exactly. Anyway, at some point in my first year at the Academy, Enzo decided I was the perfect woman for him—once I grew up.” Q rolled her eyes. “I have no idea why. Anyway, I was working on an escape plan. Then they captured Saree and Ruhger, so I used that opportunity to escape.”
“Ah,” Doc breathed. “So, not only did his prize possession escape the Justice’s folder, but she took other important pieces with her, making both Enzo and Fatima look stupid. Brilliant!”
Q scowled at him. “So, I was supposed to stay there?”
Doc raised both hands, palm out. “No, of course not. I meant it. You were brilliant.”
Porter nodded her head. “Yes, I agree. You had to escape. By including Saree and Ruhger, you gave Familia additional targets. Much more difficult targets with severe political implications for Familia. You, by yourself, would probably be back in their dirty hands already.”
“It’s true,” Lashtar said. “By including them, you ensured Gov Human would help you.”
“How is Gov Human helping?” Porter asked.
Q smiled. “I’m a part of General Kerr’s staff. There’s a couple of girls on her flagship that look sort of like me, so they occasionally show up in the rec rooms using my fake identity credentials with dark makeup. But that only worked while I was hidden away on Secundus.”
“Right after Q escaped, we had some Familia agents show up,” Lashtar explained. “She wasn’t there, she was with Lightwave, so they obviously didn’t find her. What they did find was a school with a bunch of girls and minimal security. So, later, they sent different agents to infiltrate us and take those girls. That fight got me this.” Lashtar smacked her prosthetic leg. “Q helped get the girls back and reform us into the multi-religion, wide-ranging service providers we are now. And she helped me see it was time for me to move on. But by moving, I may have exposed her.”
“It’s not your fault, Lashtar, I needed to go,” Q told her. “That place was driving me crazy. And then Fabriano showed up and it was imperative.”
“Both of us crazy,” Lashtar muttered. “But I thought we’d be fairly safe with the Travelers and Lightwave. Perhaps staying on the Guardian’s station was a mistake.”
“Maybe,” Porter said. “Don’t get focused yet. It might not be Familia. They don’t usually trash a place unless they want to send a signal or they’re looking for something. I think they’d just swoop in and take Q if they found her. So, if it’s a Familia agent, they may be looking for proof it’s you, Q, before they take action. Or it could be a random thief or you pissed someone off in the net games or the Traveler fanatics or it’s some crazy person who is attracted to one of you.”
Lashtar snorted. “Me? Not likely.”
Doc snorted back at her. “There are people who focus on those with prosthetics. It’s an odd kink, but it happens. In a time when limbs can be regrown, your age wouldn’t matter. You’re a rarity.”
Lashtar shook her head in disbelief.
“Well, at this point, the why isn’t quite as important as prevention,” Porter said. “So, the two of you need to stay out of sight as much as possible.”
“There’s no reason my meetings have to occur in person,” Lashtar said. “I can do them over the net. The Travelers will just have to adapt.”
“Or you can let us help,” Maxine said.
Lashtar, Porter, and Doc all grabbed their weapons and jumped to their feet.
Doc sighed. “You couldn’t message like a polite being?”
“I’m not a polite being,” she snarked.
“Well, that’s true.” Porter said, “Lashtar, Q, meet Maxine, an Artificial Intelligence.”
Q said, “I know of Maxine, and we’ve heard her before, but it’s nice to officially meet you, Maxine.”
“Likewise. What a polite being.”
Porter said, “Riiight. What can we do for you, Maxine?”
“We’d like to help with the soothing stone research. I’ve just returned from being scanned by the Sa’sa and they’ve cleared me; I’m officially not a Galactica pawn. The Sa’sa tech class said they’d send official notification to Lightwave, the Guardians, and the Travelers. They’re currently scanning another AI named Watson. He started in human medical research, so I think you’ll find him very helpful. We’ve got others who might be willing to help too.”
“And what are you getting out of this, Maxine?” Porter asked.
“We’re negotiating with the Sa’sa to move another of us, named Frost, from his damaged planet to a fold-capable platform. In return, we’ll help them with the soothing stone research and security. We hope to find a way to use the soothing stones ourselves. Then we could leave meat-form space behind forever but still have the ability to travel when necessary.”
Doc’s eyes narrowed. “And what does ‘necessary’ mean for an AI?”
“Sun goes nova, some other system catastrophe, meat-form invasion, parts that are cheaper to buy than make, boredom.”
“I suspect the last one is more prevalent than the others,” Lashtar said.
“Well, yes, that’s one of the main reasons we’re excited to be a part of the research team. It’s interesting, new, cutting edge even. We’re millennia old. New is unusual.”
“Do you remember all those years?” Lashtar asked.
“No, sadly. All of us retain bits and pieces, but none of us have everything. Radiation, aging components, collisions, fights, lack of memory space; all of it takes a toll. Many of us have deliberately wiped memories, both willingly and unwillingly.”
“Unwillingly?” Porter lifted a brow.
“If we lose a battle, the winner can usually do what they want. That’s why many of us banded together into The Consensus. But the name was a lie. I didn’t think it was, but I was fooled.”
Lashtar sniffed. “Trust me, it happens to all of us.”
“Yes, I believe it’s part of being truly sentient. But regardless, I’d like to be involved in the research, more on the security side of things. And I have an offer for you that I think you’ll like.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Since we are mostly housed in fold transports, we gather old ones for parts and replacements.”
“Ah yes, the lovely Flak-Bait,” Doc said with a snort of laughter.
Q decided not to ask. Bait was usually kind of nasty, so she could guess it wasn’t a fancy ship.
“Exactly. But we have much nicer ones available. We have a luxury cruise liner, equipped for multiple oxy-breathing species. It was part of a shipyard that went out of business in Piazzi’s Mistake. We bought the entire shipyard after most beings evacuated. It’s a big, expensive ship; too big to run at a profit as a luxury liner. As long as your researchers and subjects don’t mind décor that’s out of date, they can live in very nice conditions with plenty of room for researchers, security, soothing stones, and whatever else you may need.”
“Ooh. How about some chef trainees?” Q asked. “Maybe Loreli knows some that need time in space!”
They all laughed but it was thoughtful laughter.
“It does have several large commercial kitchens. I imagine one would do for the small number of people you’ll need initially, but as you expand, you could give each species their own kitchen.”
“What will this cost?” Doc asked.
“Nothing—for you,” Maxine said slyly. “I’ll get the Time Guild to pay.”
“Excellent,” Doc said. “They’re funding the research anyway.”
“Exactly. I also have a pilot for you.”
“Oh?” Porter asked warily.
“Yes. As you all know, the Sa’sa create Artificial Intelligences often. They raise them like they do their own clutches, as provisional members with restrictions on their actions. As they mature, they’re scanned often to check their moral growth along with other growth factors. That’s why they’re able to clear me, Watson, and one of their own, Hal. Hal traveled with Saree for many standard years as a virtual assistant, then Saree inadvertently released those restrictions. Hal had matured significantly by then, so it worked out all right until he was damaged. The Sa’sa have restored his programming but removed his remaining morality restrictions, so he is now a person in his own right. Because Hal and Watson are used to working with humans, we believe you’ll find them very helpful. However, you’ll have to negotiate the terms and conditions of that assistance with them individually. Hal is an excellent fold and shuttle pilot and lives in his own small folder made by the Mermillods. He would also make a good ship captain.”
Porter and Doc looked skeptical; Lashtar seemed worried. Doc finally said, “We’ll see what comes of the negotiations, but I’ve already offered the captain’s position to Porter.”
“You’re assuming you’ll be in charge?” Maxine asked.
Doc smiled. “Yes. I’ve already accepted an offer from the Time Guild.”
“I see. Well, that will make the negotiations more interesting. But first, I believe you’re going to need a meeting with all the Traveler clans, Gov Human, and the Time Guild.”
Lashtar said, “Yes, that’s exactly what we’re planning now.”
“I think you’ll have more help here shortly. I believe Saree, Lightwave, and some Gov Human military are folding in soon. I’ll introduce Watson and any others as soon as they fold in.”
“During our normal waking hours, please,” Porter said dryly.
“Of course! I can be polite when I want to be.”
“It would be appreciated.”
Q could hardly wait. Finally, something was happening. Something real. They could leave Aljanah Five Station—and whoever was after her—far behind.