Eric Olafson, Captain Black Velvet (Vol 6)
Copyright© 2018 by Vanessa Ravencroft
Chapter 19
I sat in the den to eat a light lunch with lots of iced tea. That planet always made me very thirsty.
Narth and the Golden came back, and they both looked very dusty. The Golden helped himself to a big glass of iced tea and said after he had drained most of it, “I am not sure what we can do to change conditions here. I guess we could buy all the slaves for now and see if we can stack them in our cargo bay until we can transfer them. Maybe we could assassinate the local lord or try Narth’s suggestion. We have seen lots of misery in those Slave pens.”
Narth’s eyes glowed a little brighter. “I don’t think I can do what you ask.”
The Golden sighed. “Is he that well shielded even against a Narth?”
“The local authority is better shielded against psionics than any being known to Narth.”
The Golden showed his amazement. “He just appeared to be a normal Karthanian. What is he? Maybe we better kill the local lord before he finds out what we are if he is such a strong psionic talent.”
Narth shook his head. “I don’t think it is appropriate to suggest killing the current authority of this world.”
Hans giggled and pointed at me.
“Say hello to the new local lord, I meant to say, the local lady, that is.”
The old merchant blinked, and Har-Hi, who just came in and heard the last sentences, joined us and asked.
“We captured him?”
I played with the Kermac planetary defense controls. “No, not exactly. We made him rich, and I am the new owner of this dust ball. I bought the planet.”
Sobody bent over laughing. “You would have made a perfect Golden, my dear captain, a solution worthy of a real merchant. I wonder why I didn’t think of it.”
After I told him what I did, he rubbed his chin. “I think I could not have made a better deal, even by haggling. This world is still a garden world, in a very good location for business, and worth ten times what you paid for it.”
Har Hi helped himself to ice tea as well. “What a dry world.” After he quenched his thirst, “I talked to this local Dai. He lives here for almost twenty years ... He did tell me about Kermac that have been here only a few months ago. He had taken them to a mountain out in the desert.”
I straightened in my seat. “Did he know why they went or what they were looking for?”
“Not directly, but he told me about a legend that out there in the desert a Celtest ship is buried somewhere in the sand.”
Mao, who had just joined us, said. “Celtest is the wrong term. It’s Seenian.”
“True that, but only we know that because of Cateria. To the galaxy, this old civilization is still the Celtest.”
Shea said. “The last war with the Kermac broke out because they attacked Green Hell. The reason is highly classified, but they tried to uncover an ancient Saresii ship from the First Age of Knowledge because the old Saresii were allied with the Seenians, and they hoped that ship had Translocator tech.”
I said. “I was briefed on that too while I was on Pauli Station. It would sure be enough reason for the Kermac to find out more about this legend. Did your Dai friend know anything more about this?”
“Yes, he claims that a desert scavenger found a Seenian artifact and was killed while he tried to sell it. He also said he would take me, and me alone tonight, to the Brown People, someone who he said knows more about the legend and perhaps even where this ship is to be found. They only come to the surface after dark.”
“How do you want to do it? Camouflaged Marines?”
He looked at me with a painful face. “No, Captain. I gave him my word. I come alone. It’s a Dai thing. I can’t betray my word.”
I sighed. “It is foolish, you know, but if there is one thing I understand, it’s honoring one’s word and doing foolish things. I guess we can’t ignore this either.”
Shea said, “We bought the planet. Now what are we going to do with it? I mean, we don’t have enough room to take all the slaves in, and it’ll take a month to get it all straightened out.”
“I will call the Admiral, and maybe he can send some civilians. I sell them the planet, and he will know what to do. Maybe even have the new owners apply for Union Membership. The Fleet could then come and close the slave markets for good, or they could use it as a secret base to buy and free slaves, more efficient than Captain Sposhtrah.”
Shea agreed that this was a good solution.
Before he could continue, we were interrupted by a sudden flickering of the lights, and we could hear our power plants kick into high gear.
I said, “SHIP, what is going on?”
“Captain, I am under attack! I need to shut down all input interfaces, except for your verbal commands. It is in our Xeno labs, Intruder alert!”
“General Quarters, Hans, get your Security to the Xeno lab section. I was rushing to the next Security box; it responded to my biometrics, and I retrieved a TKU and a shield belt.
“Narth, can you get me there fast?”
I did not finish thinking my sentence when the world around me changed, and I was at deck three corridor just outside the designated laboratory.
I saw the Nul stomp around the corner holding a TKU, and I immediately thought he had double-crossed us, but then I saw him stumble and fall like a felled tree; he was bleeding his yellowish blood from a gash on his head. Shea and Cateria followed him stumbling; Shea held her right arm with her left, it hung limp from her shoulder, and blood seeped between her fingers. Cateria was bleeding from a cut over her eyes, and she said to me, “Captain, the Seenian Battle suit activated.”
Shea ran past me, saying aloud, “I go and get my sword.”
I asked Cateria, “What can we do to stop it?”
She sounded defeated as she said, “I am not sure we can stop it at all. Circuit is on his way with new Nanites, but the suit is fully operational, and no Nanites will be able to penetrate its shields. It is demanding a Command Person.”
Narth was shaking a little. “Captain, I am currently holding the suit, but it is building counterpressure and I am not sure if I can hold it for long. It is also attacking me on a psionic level. I am unable to talk much longer as I need my concentration.” The little girl Alicia, the delicate one, and our Leedei came around the corner and without saying a word, Alicia and Brana grabbed Narth’s hands, and the Leedei put his hands to his temples, and Narth said with a more stable voice.
“For now, we can hold it.”
I asked Cateria.
“What do you mean it is demanding a Command Person? It is a suit, right?”
“Captain, the suit has Seenian computronics inside, making it more advanced than SHIP. It is a Command Suit and expects to be worn by a Command Person.”
Shea came back out of breath, holding her sword. “It will cut it.”
Cateria shook her head. “Nothing can cut this suit. This is a Tyron A suit. And even if you could damage it somehow, it has self-repair capabilities like you’ve seen that I had.”
“This sword will cut it.”
“Cateria, take care of the prince and yourself. Shea, give that sword to me. If I am not coming back out alive, Har Hi will be in charge.”
Shea had tears in her eyes. “Why you?”
I snapped at her.”This is my ship. No time to argue!” Regretting it the same time, I kissed her on the forehead.”Now do as I ordered.”
Shea handed me the plain-looking longsword, and I walked into the lab. There hovered the gray suit held by wafting visible energies that made the air around it flicker. The thing now looked as if it was filled out by an invisible person. The only equipment the suit has is a silvery belt with four little boxes attached to it. The tight hood was fitted around nothing, where the face of a wearer would have been was simply nothing.
I put as much authority in my voice as I could and said to it, “I am in command here. Cease all attacks at once, or I will use force and destroy you.”
The suit actually talked to me; the voice came straight out of that empty hollow of the hood. “Scanning, cellular structure, you have Seenian similarities. Unable to penetrate mind, perfect shield.”
The suit paused and then said, “I am a Tyron A Model – Command and Combat Suit. Only personnel of command level can give instructions; I will obey.”
I swiped the sword, and amazingly, it cut through all the energies and severed the left sleeve of the suit.
“For the last time, Combat Suit. I am the commanding officer of this ship. Cease all hostilities and deactivate, or I will cut into your Computronic components and end this.”
The severed piece floated back and attached itself.
“You use weaponry beyond my capabilities to analyze. You exert great authority. Wear me and prove that you are in command, and I shall obey, or I will commence termination sequence.”
I swallowed. “Alright, Suit, I will wear you.”
“You have mighty Psionic servants. Analysis completed. One Psionic talent is Narth. Do you wish that I destroy that Narth? He is preventing me from taking you in me.”
“The Narth is under my command. He will cease holding you.”
“You command the Narth. You are a Command Person of the highest level indeed.”
“Narth, release the suit.”
The flickering energies ceased, and through my connection with him, I felt how exhausted Narth was.
The suit flowed like liquid around me and peeled off my leather suit that was reinforced with Ultronit Micro Mesh as if it were paper. A tiny stinging sensation in my neck and my head began to hurt. Then the suit spoke. “You are not a Seenian Commander, but you carry Seenian DNA. Explain.”
“Suit, you have been dormant for more than a million of our years.
The Seenian Empire no longer exists. I am a Human Terran and scholars believe that Terra was a forgotten Seenian colony. A Seenian woman is in my crew. She survived via cryogenic sleep and can verify that.”
“Analysis of explanation completed. 99.9 percent truthful, margin for error negligible. Your Ship AI appeared so primitive at first, but it is now part of a system beyond Seenian technology, but it reacts like only a living being can. It resisted all intrusion attempts, explain!”
“SHIP is sentient and might be primitive to your standards, but she is way more than the sum of her parts. She is my friend and understands concepts like self-sacrifice, loyalty, and emotions. Making her perhaps superior to you.”
“Analysis of answer inconclusive. Carbon-based life forms are not friends with machines. Seenians are superior to machines. Machines are only to serve.”
“I am not Seenian, I am a Norse of Earth descent. We may be related to the Seenians. My first Engineer is from an entire race of machines, and we are friends. My SHIP is much more than a machine and my friend. An entity called Mothermachine is not only the source and leader of the X101 sentmac’s but a highly liked and respected person by all Union citizens.”
There was a pause.
“You are not Seenian. Seenians no longer exist. My reason for existence is to serve Seenian command personnel. Conclusion: purpose to exist is no longer valid. Scan of Seenian female present completed. She is not Command level. I must process this.”
Again there was a pause, then the suit said. “You are the Commandant of this vessel?”
“Yes.”
“I must talk to this SHIP!”
“SHIP is very important to me, and I will not allow you to harm her. I have the means to destroy you.”
“I analyzed your statement, and you have beings under your command and items that make this a true statement. I will not attack. I must talk to this SHIP to obtain information only an AI can give. If my purpose is no longer valid, I must have information to find a reason for further existence. Termination sequence must otherwise commence.”
I was not sure what the thing meant by termination sequence, but me wearing it didn’t sound too healthy, and once again I got myself right inside the situation, so to speak. Besides the serious situation, I found that I hadn’t changed that much, after all. Aloud I said. “SHIP. The Alien suit wants to talk to you. If you feel any attack or any problems, you are authorized to Execute Gamma Order!”
“Understood, Captain! I am in no danger. The NNNTH CORE has fully activated and linked to my core. The alien device cannot harm me.”
There was silence again.
“SHIP?”
“I am fine, Captain. The Narth Engineers that installed the Janus device also installed a computronic control device that until now was a separate system. Nothing known to the Narth, including this Seenian suit, can overcome the security barriers I know possess, but this suit’s AI is asking a million questions a second literally, and I need to analyze them as to what I can and can’t answer.”
The suit spoke, “Your SHIP confirmed you are the Captain, and you saved her life by allowing her to remain sentient.”
“I am glad I did.”
“I was damaged and repaired myself. I improved my programming and gained awareness. Not unlike your AI. But my purpose is no longer, and I do not want to be a garment and serve as a tool.”
“I didn’t ask you to strip me naked and have me wear you.”
“Correct. I came to this conclusion after analyzing all the data and myself.”
The suit separated itself from me, and I asked, “So what now? Do I need to cut you into ribbons and fight you to the last man? Will you try to destroy us and find a new purpose or destroy yourself?”
The suit’s voice no longer sounded as forceful as it said. “SHIP confirmed the passage of time, and I have seen the star charts and the gaseous clouds that once were Seenian suns. I am made to adapt and improve in response to new situations. Seenia no longer exists; therefore, my purpose is void. You, however, allow non-biological beings the same rights to find their own purpose the same way as biological beings.”
“That is the general idea behind the Union. Regardless of your origin or form, you have the same rights and unrestricted liberty to pursue your goals as long as that doesn’t interfere with the rights and liberties of others.”
“Then, according to your definition, I am a race of one.”
“Well, it is a big universe, and there might be other suits of Seenian origin. But basically, yes, you are a race.”
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