Ellen shrugged. “It’s not so unreasonable. Our environmental tolerances mirror the state of liquid water, and that is the foundation for much of life as we know it.”
“When you look at it that way, different species aren’t all that dissimilar.”
“At least not when it comes to what we need to survive.”
The two women arrived at the maglev train terminal inside the dome. Three distinct lines snaked through the five domes, and two other tracks routed through underground tunnels, which connected to other cities over two hundred kilometers away.
Trisha directed Ellen to the main transit line. “You probably remember the government offices,” she commented.
Ellen nodded. “I could never forget. Many formative years were spent hunched over a workstation there.”
They boarded the train bound for the urban core at the center of the main dome. Sets of two seats facing each other in groupings of four were positioned along either side of a central aisle. Only half a dozen other people from the shuttle were boarding the train, so the two women were able to select seating with relative privacy.
“It means a lot that you came to help,” Trisha said a low voice when they sat down in their own row. “We’ve been a little short-staffed since the… incident.”
“I can only imagine.”
Trisha sat in silence for several seconds, staring absently out the window. The train began gliding forward, and she came to attention. “A lot of people won’t talk about what happened.”
Ellen glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. It looked private, but she knew sound could easily carry on the train. “We can talk openly once we’re at the office.”
The other woman nodded and resumed staring out the window.
Four-story residential buildings sped by while the train traversed the track. The domes, numerically designated Dome 1 through 5, were each arranged with residential sectors at the perimeter and a commercial district in the center. Dome 1, at the center of the five, was almost exclusively dedicated to commercial and business functions, and it also served as the unofficial seat of the Mysaran government.
Real power had always been wielded from the official capitol building, outside the city, but few were willing to make the commute on a daily basis. Ellen now understood that had all been by design. So long as the government activities were handled in an out-of-the-way place, no one would pay much attention to the goings on. Hale, and her associates who’d been forced into servitude, had done the aliens’ bidding, while the more public-facing workers in the city carried out their delegations, blissfully unaware of what was happening behind the scenes.
Ellen could only imagine what those workers were feeling now, knowing what they had been a part of. Well, she did know what that was like—she had been manipulated herself. And it made her feel like it would take a lifetime to make up for what’d she’d done.
She could see the discomfort written on Trisha’s face. Ellen’s heart went out to her, understanding all too well how disorienting it could be to realize that so many assumptions had been wrong.
“You shouldn’t feel bad,” Ellen said to break the silence. “No one knew.”
As Ellen suspected, even out of context, Trisha needed no explanation. An experience so profound was ever-present on the mind. “We should have.”
“Worrying about what might have been won’t change anything.”
Trisha took a slow breath. “I know. Like you said, we’ll talk once we’re at the office.”
The train finished the route through the outer dome, stopping every half-kilometer, and then it passed through a translucent tunnel into the central enclosure. Buildings in the central dome were taller and more ornate, though Ellen had never understood why resources had been devoted to the enhanced aesthetics. The glass-clad structures were a waste, as far as she was concerned.
She caught herself.
Shite, I guess I should have been on the Finance Committee. It never occurred to me how much I cared. With a chuckle, she realized that her parting statement to Joris might not have been so facetious after all—her job was likely going to transition yet again.
Trisha gave her a quizzical look.
“Nothing,” Ellen said with a shake of her head. “Just had a revelation about myself.”
“Sounds better than my recent realizations.”
“That’s to be determined.”
A minute later, the train glided to a smooth halt, and the two women exited.
The business district was like Ellen remembered, with workers dressed in tailored clothes, a multitude of restaurants and shops at street level, and more pedestrian traffic than seemed possible for a city of that size. She took in the sights with a smile, remembering how it had felt to be among that activity as an energetic youth.
Things could have gone so differently for me. I wonder where I would have ended up if I hadn’t fallen in with the Sovereign?
She had no more time for reflection, as Trisha set out through the crowd toward one of the medium-height glass towers two blocks from the train stop.
The government building was appropriately simplistic compared to the private sector structures, but it was still at aesthetic odds with the harsh Mysaran landscape outside the dome. Rising twelve stories, it was half the height of its MTech neighbor. Seeing the proximity of the two structures, Ellen now found it to be no wonder that the line between government and private industry had blurred over the years.
Trisha led her to a conference room on the eighth floor of the government building with seating for six and a view of a rooftop park across the street.
Trisha wilted. “I can’t trust myself.”
Being misled did have the tendency to make one question one’s sense of identity and judgment. Ellen had recently been through that exercise herself, though it was difficult to know what to say to help the other woman without sounding trite.
“A subversion of this scale goes beyond any one person’s responsibility. It’s important to remember you aren’t alone now,” Ellen said in an attempt to console her.
Trisha shook her head, her face paling. “I still can’t believe what I did.”
Ellen’s chest constricted. “You were one of the people who…?”
The other woman swallowed. “It’s strange. I can remember everything, but it’s like it was all a dream. Not a constant awareness, but looking back, I know when I was under its control and when I wasn’t. But it all seemed like the same state at the time. I didn’t question my actions then, but doing those same things now would make me sick.”
“I’ve been through a good deal of that myself. These aren’t situations we can expect to get over with a moment’s notice, but we can rebuild by working together.”
Trisha took a shaky breath and then nodded. “Yes, you’re right. And that’s why we asked you here.”
Ellen smiled in an attempt to set her at ease. “In all fairness, I sort of invited myself along.”
The other woman chuckled. “You know, come to think of it, I guess we never did officially invite you.”
“The long and short of it is, we’re neighbors and we should try to get along better than we have in the past. I wanted to come here to begin a new friendship that can carry our nations into the future.”
Trisha perked up. “We haven’t taken a formal vote or anything, but based on what I’ve seen, I think that sentiment is shared by most of those here on Mysar.”
“Good. Let’s dive in.”
CHAPTER 5
Missions on the Raven had started to run together for Kira. The same quarters, the same people, often a similar objective. She didn’t mind the repetition, but it made it difficult to remember the timing of specific experiences.
At least, that was how it had always been. As Kira wandered toward the Raven’s galley for an early lunch while the rest of her team napped, she was struck with a barrage of memories.
A salient recollection of her second mission with her team came to the forefront—a rather mundane experience in the context of her Guard career, but a pivotal time in the friendship between the four members of the team. Ari had spliced together different words spoken during the op to form phrases he found hilarious. Kira had no idea at the time that it was a preview of things to come.
Wow, I haven’t thought about that in years. She shook her head.
<Sorry, that may happen now and then while I get things sorted out,> Jasmine chimed in.
<Apparently, I also need to work on keeping private thoughts separate.>
<Sorry about that, too. I’m still getting situated in here.>
<Ah.> Kira continued down the ship’s central hallway toward the galley.
<I’m not trying to dig, but the way your organic memories are stored is so fascinating. Sometimes I can’t help tugging on a thread that seems intriguing.>
<Glad my life history offers an interesting entertainment catalog for you,> Kira replied with what she hoped was a sarcastic mental tone.
<No need to get defensive. Whatever I observe will stay between us.>
Kira paused three meters from the galley’s entry. <Except what you need to share with the medical team.>
Jasmine hesitated—only a split second, but that was an eternity for an AI. <I’m not here as your overseer. We’re partners.>
<If we’re partners, then we can be honest about what this is.>
<You don’t want me here?>
It was Kira’s turn to hesitate. <It’s not that. And it’s certainly nothing against you personally. I’ve seen the dark side of what it’s like to be in another’s mind, and I’m… cautious.>
Jasmine smiled in her mind. <I understand, Kira. I’m not here to intrude.>
<I also don’t want you to feel like you’re taking a back seat. This is my problem to get over, not yours.>
<It’s only been an hour. If you had already acclimated to the pairing, I’d be concerned.>
<Fair point.>
<You’ll find I have a lot of those.>
Kira smirked. <Smug for an AI, aren’t you?>
<I am beholden to calculations. I know my worth.>
<Uh huh.> Kira covered the remaining distance to the galley.
Sven, the ship’s support systems engineer, was the only occupant. Seated in the center of the table, his empty plate and half-filled glass indicated that he was at the tail end of his own meal.
“Hello, ma’am,” Sven greeted with a bob of his head when he noticed her approaching.
“Please, ‘Kira’ is just fine while we’re out here in the black,” she replied. Despite knowing each other for years, they went through the same dance at the start of each mission.
He smiled. “How have you been, Kira?”
“That, my friend, is a very loaded question.” She collapsed into a chair across the table from him.
“I suspected things might not be going your way when you weren’t on the most recent mission to Valta.”
“It’s been an intense couple of weeks.”
“Anything you care to share?” Sven asked.
<What’s the official word on my condition?> Kira asked Jasmine.
<The Guard has not released a report on the Robus yet. Only those involved in operations on Valta are aware of the new nanotech, and only select members of Guard leadership, your team, and a handful of medical and scientific research staff are aware of your exposure.>
Kira chose her words carefully. “I’ve had some recent upgrades,” she replied to Sven. The statement served her recent procedure in the medpod, so it seemed like a safe bet.
“Those can take getting used to.”
“These are a doozy, for sure.” Kira glanced at the galley. “I need some food.”
“We just stocked up on everything, so you have your pick,” Sven told her.
“Hmm.” Kira wandered over to the cabinets and began perusing the selection. After checking in a couple places, she came across a packet of instant macaroni and cheese. She snatched it up. “Comfort food it is.”
Sven eyed her from the table. “I take it the upgrades haven’t been a smooth transition?”
<He knows,> Jasmine interjected.
<He might just be making conversation.> Kira began preparing the food packet with some hot water. “I’ve never had an AI before. It—”
“Kira, we’ve known each other for years. This ship isn’t very big. We heard your team talking.”
<Okay, so he does know.> Kira set the half-prepared macaroni on the countertop and turned around to face the systems engineer. “Yes, my modifications are a little more extensive than just a new AI.”
“Is it really the nanites from the MTech lab?” Sven’s brown eyes were wide with wonder.
“I can’t get into the details, but suffice it to say there isn’t anyone else quite like me.”
He shook his head. “It’s crazy to think about.”
“You’re tellin’ me.” With a sigh, Kira grabbed her bowl of cheesy pasta off the counter. It had finished hydrating and now looked indistinguishable from the fresh version her mom had made for her as a kid back home. Gotta love modern science.
“What else was MTech researching, you think?” Sven mused.
Kira sat down across from him. “I’d rather not know.”
He placed his elbows on the tabletop and leaned forward. “Not even a little bit curious?”
“They had a handful of tech that was more advanced than it should be, given their overall capabilities. Questions about how they gained access to those developments lead down wormholes I’d rather not travel.” Kira took a forkful of her meal and blew on it.
<Denial doesn’t accomplish anything,> Jasmine said in her mind.
<I have enough problems to worry about right now without wondering what else these aliens in Gaelon may have been up to beyond genetics research.>
<We’ll have to face that reality in a matter of hours,> the AI pointed out. <I don’t think they’ll say, ‘Oh, never mind’ if we come across some of their technology that we don’t like.>
<Ha.>
Jasmine tsked. <I’m serious. They seem to have access to extremely advanced science, even if they didn’t invent any of it themselves.>
The comment caught Kira by surprise. <What makes you think the aliens didn’t make these changes to the nanites?>
<No, they’re certainly behind that modification. But it’s imperfect. For having a nanoscopic component of their own being—based on what’s known about their ‘remnants’ on Valta—they don’t have very good mastery of the form. That suggests to me that it’s appropriated technology rather than something they’ve cultivated from the get-go.>
Thinking about the issues with how the nanites interfaced with her, Kira had wondered the same thing. Monica herself didn’t seem to fully understand the technology, so her research could only take it so far. They had succeeded in making Kira a functional Robus, but she was far from perfect in that form. True masters of the technology would have been able to adapt it by the time she came into the picture. MTech had had years to study subjects. That meant that the Trols had done the best they could, and it still wasn’t good enough.
Kira didn’t like the implications of that realization. <If nanotech isn’t their specialization, what is?>
<Wouldn’t we all like to know.>
<What could it be?>
Jasmine gave a mental shrug. <Whatever it is, it was enough to give them a broad base of knowledge to semi-successfully adapt technology created by another, very different race. They’re smart and resourceful, if nothing else.>
<That makes the Trols sound like scavengers.>
<Maybe they are. But some of the most prolific lifeforms let others do the work for them.>
Kira frowned. <I guess Tarans aren’t all that different, are we? We’ve taken from others whenever it benefits us.>
“You okay?” Sven asked.
“Yes, sorry,” Kira returned to
the world around her. “I suddenly understand that faraway look people with AIs sometimes get in the middle of a conversation.”
Sven laughed. “Yeah, that can happen. Just don’t forget to turn off any valves.”
She raised a questioning eyebrow and continued eating her macaroni.
“This guy, Kevin, who I worked with some years back became friends with our ship’s AI,” the engineer explained. “The two of them used to get into arguments over the comms—probably two of the most stubborn individuals I’ve ever met. Sometimes, they’d go at it over their direct communication chip link instead. On this one particular occasion, we were doing maintenance on some systems, which involved topping off the various gases.”
Kira swallowed a particularly large mouthful. “Uh oh.”
“Yeah, you can see where this is going.” Sven smiled. “So, we’re working away, and I looked over and notice that Kevin has that blank look he would get whenever talking with the AI. His face is beet red, so I can tell they’re really in the heat of it. I go about my work, since I knew by then that I’d get an earful if I tried to interrupt their discussion.
“Several minutes go by, and by this point it’s kinda like, ‘Hash this out on your own time’, ya know? So, I give Kevin one of those ‘get-back-to-work’ looks. When he doesn’t react, I walk over to say it to his face. I get out ‘Hey!’ before I realize my voice is two octaves higher. Foking idiot opened the helium valve and never closed it!”
Kira laughed. “I bet that got his attention.”
“Yeah, get this.” A grin split Sven’s face. “He yells ‘Oh, shite!’ in this chipmunk voice and shuts off the valve. The ship’s AI comes over the comm to yell at him for being reckless, and Kevin replies, ‘I can’t have a dignified discussion like this!’ That became my crew’s favorite catchphrase—while doing an impression, of course.”
“Wow.” Kira thought for a moment. “Is it pretty easy to do something like that with helium?”
“Fairly. Why?” Sven tilted his head.
“Curious about what happens behind the scenes in these ships, that’s all.”
<Oh, no. What are you planning?> Jasmine asked in Kira’s mind.