Vortex incursion, p.7
Vortex Incursion, page 7
Bethany regarded the mickies, who looked less enthusiastic than they did at the start. “Still interested?” she asked them.
Despite the cold water thrown on them, the mickies chorused that they wanted to go.
“Okay, you’ve got implants,” Bethany said. “I’m going to make heavy use of them. Anyone who doesn’t act promptly to any order I give is going to walk home.”
The mickies laughed at the concept of walking across space.
Gat’r stared at his mining companions. “Don’t forget,” he warned. “That walk will start with an airlock exit to vacuum.”
That reminder caused the laughter to die.
6: Chairperson Trio
FOUR OUTPOST SHIPS
DAIMLER SYSTEM BOUND
Aboard the carrier Aquaria, Gat’r unpacked Hephaestus and signaled the suit to enfold him. Then he ran an implant to locate Yma.
All the Alexander individuals traveling to Kilmer, including Gistamia, the Hyronzy captain, sailed aboard the Aquaria.
Nira had suggested the arrangement. She’d told them that, although the journey would be short, continued exposure between sisters and biologicals was extremely valuable.
As Gat’r approached Gistamia’s cabin, the Hyronzy triggered the door.
Gat’r proudly demonstrated some of Hephaestus’s capabilities.
In quick order, the threesome descended decks toward an empty bay, while Gistamia sent a notice to others. When the trio stepped into the bay, it was already occupied, and more individuals soon arrived.
Gat’r relayed Johann’s advice to Escher.
Escher watched Yma glide to the center of the bay.
As Gat’r walked to the bay’s center to join Yma, he quickly edited an attack app to focus on a foot instead of a knee.
Yma sent in reply.
Yma extended a hand toward Gat’r.
Gat’r retracted his mask-helmet, grinned at Yma, and said, “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Then his mask-helmet slid into place.
Yma wondered why Gat’r didn’t assume a defensive stance. She made the mistake of presuming that Gat’r was unprepared for combat. To demonstrate the ineffectiveness of the suit against a digital entity, she slid forward to slap his shoulder.
Gat’r’s response registered on Yma’s sensors, and she made to evade his maneuver. Unfortunately, she found her right foot momentarily pinned to the deck, as Gat’r smacked his other foot into her right thigh.
Yma analyzed the mistake and adjusted her expectations. She backed away and commented,
Gat’r’s face appeared, and he wore a concerned expression. “You weren’t hurt, were you, Yma?” he asked worriedly.
There were four more rounds, and Gat’r managed to score on only one of them.
Gat’r signaled his mask-helmet to retract. His grin nearly enveloped the lower half of his face, and he extended his hand to Yma.
Before the audience could disband, they heard via their comms and implants,
Bethany stepped forward and tapped Gat’r on the shoulder.
When Gat’r stepped back, Bethany queried,
Miranda officiated six bouts.
Bethany managed to score three of the six points, which surprised the attendees.
Before Bethany could agree, Miranda interrupted with,
Both contestants agreed to the new settings, and three rounds were conducted.
Again, the audience was surprised that Bethany scored a point.
It was then that the sisters realized that, although their avatars were superior to the suits, they did not have some of the fighting skills of this particular group of humans.
As it was, three bouts later, Escher had scored all three points. The bay erupted in human applause and whistles, with the SADEs and the sisters adding their raucous sounds.
The audience paused before turning to leave, and their decision was well-founded. Johann and Stacey wanted opportunities to test their suits against Yma.
Neither of the Naiads managed to score a point.
Johann recalled Bethany’s admonition that they were trained to control and subdue with a minimum of force. These contests weren’t about that, and Yma operated with a different mindset than them.
In the corridor outside the bay, Gistamia walked beside Yma, as they made their way to the upper decks and his cabin. He was curious.
Gistamia saw each suited human engaged by one or two sisters. The conversations were silent, exchanged via comms and implants, but the broad gestures proved the extent of the engagements.
Not long after the bouts, Johann and Stacey cornered Escher.
“How?” Johann asked.
“I find if I order meal number —” Escher temporized.
“Escher,” Stacey warned, cutting him off.
“Apologies. My attempt at humor seems ill-timed,” Escher said. “I think that I benefited from being the first to deviate from the normal routines.” Then he sent a link to his friends.
“This is part of the twins’, Alain and Étienne de Long, routines,” Stacey said, recognizing the link. “We reviewed these several times.”
“Did you make it to the end of the conversation with Admiral Tachenko?” Escher asked.
“I didn’t,” Johann admitted. When he glanced at Stacey, she appeared chagrined.
“Let me give you the gist of why you should pay close attention to that exchange,” Escher explained. “The admiral was seeking to understand why, despite her continuous hand-to-hand combat improvement, she couldn’t score against the twins.”
“And the answer?” Johann queried.
“Winning an encounter is here,” Escher replied, tapping his temple.
“We carefully followed your actions during the three rounds,” Stacey said. “Why did you think they would work?”
“Did I think they would work? No. I hoped they were so unorthodox as to take Yma off guard,” Escher replied. “I can guarantee you that it wouldn’t have continued to surprise her.”
“She took the loss in stride,” Johann noted.
“Which bodes well for us and the planet that receives these sisters,” Escher said. “Ceda couldn’t be more hopeful.”
“Let’s hope that happens,” Johann said.
Stacey swatted Johann’s forearm. “You have to stop ending a conversation on a sour note,” she admonished.
Johann smiled good-naturedly, while he rubbed his arm.
Escher left the couple and headed for his cabin.
“Hathor needs charging,” Stacey remarked.
“As does Thoth,” Johann responded. “Let’s retire to our cabins, get refreshed, and join everyone for a meal.”
Stacey nodded, and they hurried to their cabins, which were located adjacent to each other.
Johann delayed entering the refresher to respond to Gat’r’s queries about Naiad. He’d just entered the refresher, when he received an implant contact from Stacey.
Stacey had waited for months for Johann to say something about what she knew he felt. Finally, she realized that either he was shyer than she suspected, or, as her ex-superior, he might believe it inappropriate to make an advance.
Throwing caution to the ice winds, Stacey entered the cabin and stripped out of her clothes. Slipping into the sleeping quarters, Stacey called out softly and entreatingly, “Is there room in there for two?”
Johann stuck his head around the barrier and eyed Stacey. Then he reached a hand to her and drew her into the refresher.
It goes without saying that they did end up missing dining with everyone else.
∞
“Chairperson Dyehouse, we’ve more visitors,” the port controller said. “I believe they’re friendlies. Right hull types and four ships.”
“We’re becoming extremely popular,” Lisa remarked offhand. Then she ended the slate call.
“Do you wish me to leave?” Madeline, the assistant, inquired.
“No, but contact the other chairpersons and inform them of the port controller’s message,” Lisa replied.
As Madeline rose to move to a quieter area of the apartment, the recent changes crossed Lisa’s mind. She was no longer extraordinarily secretive.
The changes had accelerated after Lisa’s return from Delhart. From that point forward, Madeline had been present for many of the chairpersons’ discussions.
The surprising thing to Madeline was that she was now asked her opinion, which had never happened before.
At one point, Lisa had inquired, “What do you think about our clones?”
Madeline’s thoughts had whirled until Lisa said, “I need the truth, Madeline. It’s important.”
Gathering her courage, Madeline had replied, “I think we make the mining clones toil in unbelievably tough conditions with no hope of reprieve.”
Lisa had ruminated on Madeline’s answer, and her assistant thought she’d just lost her job.
“If that’s your opinion, what do you think of Pure Pour?” Lisa asked.
This was a step too far for Madeline’s courage. Instead of replying to the question, she said, “When I finished my degrees, I applied to Delhart, but there were no job openings at that time. I was an only child, and my parents were dead. I took the first offer I received.”
“Well, that’s a better answer than I could have expected,” Lisa admitted. “I’ve a feeling, Madeline, that if negotiations are properly handled, you might find Kilmer a better place to work.”
“With ...” Madeline replied, pointing her finger upward.
“Yes, with the SADEs, and whoever else has arrived,” Lisa replied. A thought occurred to her, and she addressed her slate.
“Yes, Chairperson,” Gant Borden, the operations director, replied.
“You’ve probably heard the notice from the shuttleport,” Lisa began.
“I have, and I’m preparing to meet our guests,” Gant enthusiastically replied.
“Stand down, Gant,” Lisa said. “In fact, retire to your apartment until further notice.”
“Chairperson, you should consider —” was as far as Gant got before his slate call abruptly ended.
Lisa noticed Madeline’s smile, which she was doing a poor job of hiding behind her hand.
“Not a fan of our operations director?” Lisa inquired.
The way in which the question was asked told Madeline that she could be honest, if not blunt. “An image of an airlock comes to mind,” she said.
To Madeline’s astonishment, Lisa burst out laughing. She’d never heard her superior express her emotions so openly.
Lisa was still laughing when the chairpersons entered the apartment, and she waved them to seats.
While the trio of chairpersons chatted and waited for news of a shuttle landing, Gant fumed. His power waned soon after Lisa’s return to Kilmer. As the days passed, their relationship soured.
By now, Gant sensed his position was untenable, and he sought to make a point to Lisa that she couldn’t ignore. He did return to his apartment, but he didn’t bother rescinding the order he’d sent to the security commander.
Led by the commander, two squads of security agents used the shuttleport’s freight elevator to drop to the service level. From there, they made their way down the corridor toward the engineering bay where the visitors were expected to enter.
“Aliens don’t reach the port’s surface deck. Offer no quarter. Understood?” the commander ordered over the security network. “Now disperse as I direct. Attack when I give the command.”
Then the commander walked the length of the corridor, ordering every Kilmer employee to evacuate to the port’s upper deck.
When Lisa received word that a shuttle was on approach to the landing pad, the chairpersons left the apartment for the shuttleport. They expected to meet the visitors at the port’s passenger lounge.
The Kilmer engineering bay’s revolving airlock limited the number who could pass at one time. So, only eight passengers exited the traveler. It was a tight fit for the first eight with Miranda and Z in their midst.
Exiting the airlock, Z scanned the deserted bay and sent,
Vacuum suits were shucked, and mask-helmets were closed. The eight individuals consisted of Z, Miranda, Bethany, Johann, Stacey, Escher, Ceda, and Gat’r.
Miranda warned the other traveler passengers to stay aboard. The next eight who had neared the airlock beat a hasty retreat to the ship.
Gat’r sent.
Z and Miranda, who’d stood near the bay’s entrance to guard against a rush by security, turned to gaze at the suited figures.
Stacey said.
Z ran some swift calculations.
