Chapter 8: Nerves

WHO ARE YOU? Without identifying themselves. How do we answer, if we answer, and do we answer?

“Mei? Do we have any armaments?”

“Not weapons of war, but we have three plasma cannon in the snowball to blast debris from our path. And Sea Hag is equipped with one plasma cannon you used to destroy the mountain top altar.”

“Are the canon in the bow equal or more potent than Sea Hags canon?”

“Oh, much more intense and broader field of fire, by a factor of dozens. Can’t say exactly, we have never fired them, but potential maybe fifty times more powerful.”

“Individually aimable?”

“Capable of concerted or separate discreet control.”

“No defensive capabilities to the rear?”

“Well, no offensive weapons. The gravitic drives can act as repulsive shields, deflectors, or cone and fan shaped grappler forces, but not beamed.”

“Thanks Mei. Ladies? Man your guns, one each. Mei? You are fire control coordinator. Explain to the ladies how the guns are used. Remember to lead your target, if we have to shoot. I’m taking Sea Hag out on a wingman patrol, to protect and cover our ass. JoAnn? Start thawing Karen. Normal thaw but no unnecessary delays.”

“Flotsam, can innuendo be transmitted? Good. Then send this, with a sneering tone if you can.”

‘Who do YOU pretend to be?”

A long several minutes passed before we received this response.

“YOUR BETTER.”

“Was there a detectable tone to the message, Flotsam?” Arrogance.

“Can you determine range and bearing of the source of the hail?”

“Not really. Perhaps range is limitless and instantaneous. I don’t have ears to determine direction of ... of ... I can’t orient source directions without something like focusing ears. I don’t have any.”

“What about your AI chip? Can it help?”

“Blossom? Can you detect range and bearing?”

Awesome named her chip Blossom? Cute.

“Can you hear anybody on Earth, Flotsam?” No.

Flotsam can’t hear anybody in an out-of-body state on Earth, then range is either not infinite or not instantaneous. Not infinite is my guess.

“Blossom reports the source of the hail is between five and twenty degrees on the starboard bow.”

“Can you connect Blossom to the general group chat? Also, do you see anything physical that may be the source?”

“There is a small field of dark matter and also a galactic center massive singularity in that general direction.”

“We can rule out the blackhole as the source, it’s too far away. If Earth is too far, galactic center is much farther. Someone is hiding behind the black matter is my presumption. Head straight for them, JoAnn. How big a patch is it, Flotsam? How long to swing around it?”

“I have no information how deep the field is. I only have a frontal aspect.”

“How long before we need to alter course to avoid colliding with the black matter?”

“Maximum, half an hour.”

“Pilots, swerve right to clear the obstacle in twenty five minutes. I’m going to the left in Sea Hag.”

“That’s dangerous. Why take the risk?”

“To impress our better, they’re dealing with a fleet.”

“Yeah, I can see how they would conclude that the number of ships is an unknown, as soon as we establish it’s more than one. Cool!”