The Colony Ship Eschaton: The entire ten book series, page 103
By now the automacube dragging Seorim had deposited him in the transport vehicle and was returning to assist its partner. It raced at Tobias just as he was getting to his feet. It too fired the projectile rounds which again knocked Tobias down but did not penetrate his armor. Tobias swung his sword and it sliced deeply into the already damaged automacube. The brilliant red light was extinguished. The darkness seemed almost complete as Tobias’ eyes were not adjusted to the low light. He again was rammed by the damaged automacube knocking the air out of him. Gaining a kneeling position he stabbed with his sword and felt a satisfying crunch as the permalloy sword parted the softer metal of the automacube. He was unsure which one he had struck, but was pleased he had hit something with his strike into the darkness.
“Rector where are you?” Tobias screamed as he stood up.
There was no reply.
Tobias was again rammed, this time from behind, and he fell hard to his face. Rolling over he made a swipe with his sword and again felt the ever sharp blade sink into the attacking machine. This time it stayed in the machine, as Tobias held firm to the hilt. Knowing where it was, by the feel on his sword, he heaved himself up and pulled the automacube onto its side, using the stuck sword as a sort of lever. The machine bucked and pulled and knocked him around with surprising strength. Some of the wheels were spinning, and the stump of the appendage spun at high speed, but Tobias extracted the sword and struck down on the automacube repeatedly. Wheels, chunks of metal, and other parts of the machine were hacked off. Finally it did not move anymore. He struck it several times more to be sure.
Tobias tried to see where Conner had fallen, but could not find him. Being knocked down hard several times in his fight had disoriented him, and the near blackness of the night was difficult. He rubbed his eyes trying to help them adjust more quickly to the dim light. He could barely make out the ground, but saw no body of Conner.
“It has taken him!” Tobias screamed. He rushed as quickly as he could back toward where he thought the door to Media’s Center was located, but ran against the old wooden structure. He had trouble finding his way. After stumbling a bit he stopped and pulled out his pack and sought out his fire-maker to light something to see his way. As he was trying to find what he needed to make some kind of torch a small figure carrying a tiny candle came toward him.
“You are from Raphael! You have slain the demon,” The boy Doeg said.
By the dim light Tobias could see that Conner was gone. “I must stop them from taking Rector Conner!” he yelled. “Where is the place those machines went?”
“That demon must have fled into the haunted ruins when you slew the other. I will show you.”
By the dim candlelight the boy led Tobias back to where the hard metal door was stuck open.
“I need your candle. I am going after them,” Tobias stated. It was not a request.
The boy immediately handed over the candle.
“Why did you help me?” Tobias asked the boy.
“The women betrayed the Chief Elder. This is not how it should be. If the women knew their place, these demons would not have come here,” Doeg replied. He was trying to act like a man, but his heart was fearful. He knew he could not show any fear in front of this man who may be their agent of deliverance.
Tobias was stunned. He grabbed the boy by his head and stared into his eyes. It was but a brief moment. Though they were physically close together, the distance between them was immense. In the dim candle-light Tobias could not tell read the boy’s face. It was a riddle why the Clan of Tobit people acted as they did.
Tobias turned and proceeded as quickly as possible to the portal room. He could make out a dull blue glow as he approached. As he turned to enter the room, the blue lights from around the portal door went out.
The transport vehicle had departed.
21 Which way did they go?
Michael and Jamie raced from the transport vehicle. Levi was enraged. He was screaming and yelling. Michael turned on the light on the fusion pack and the darkness was dispelled.
“You see? This is not Antioch! So what do we do now? How do we rescue Gideon?” Levi’s face was flushed with his anger and disappointment as well as his fear for his friend.
“Roxanne, where are we?” Jamie asked as the automacube rolled out of the transport vehicle. The room they were in was clearly some kind of portal room with hatches and the same kind of doors as the room in Antioch. However, the room had wooden frames around some of the doors, and broken pieces of wood scattered around. There was also no power for ceiling lights or anything else.
“The system should have returned us to Habitat One: Coastal Plains,” Roxanne said. “This is curious,” the automacube jacked into the wall, near the portal door, “there is no power in these systems. However there is a trace here which I may be able to follow…”
Tobias came running into the room.
Levi and Tobias were both astounded.
“Levi!”
“Tobias!”
“Now I am really confused,” Jamie said.
“Rector Conner has been kidnapped!” Tobias stated. “They left only a short time ago. Then when these portals glowed blue again, I retreated, thinking more were coming to attack. But when I heard Levi yell I came.”
“But Tobias, where is the place?” Jamie tried to ask, but was interrupted by Levi.
“Tobias, Gideon was kidnapped as well, and he is injured. It must be the same enemy!” The two legionnaires shook their heads in agreement.
“So Conner was taken as well?” Michael asked. “But that must mean…”
“We are in Habitat One,” Jamie finished Michael’s thought. “But where?”
“Media,” Tobias stated. “Can that talking machine take us after Rector Conner?”
Roxanne spoke up, “Apparently we are at another transport hub, this one on the opposite end of the habitat. But the more emergent issue is rescuing our lost associates. I have found a trace left by the transport which just departed here. I believe, now that we have access to the manual over-ride which opened up the new levels in the nonphysicality, that I can direct this vehicle to follow the previous transport.”
“So do it!” Levi snapped. “We must rescue Gideon!”
“But it was Rector Conner who was kidnapped from here? I know nothing of Gideon’s location. I thought he was with you and the people going to Savannah?” Tobias stated firmly. “Rector Conner was abducted.”
Levi and Tobias both started talking at the same time. They were both trying to explain their own adventures which had led them to this place and time, but neither was listening to the other. Tobias was trying to speak about the horror of watching Brigham kill himself, and Levi was worried about the injuries to Gideon. Tensions and emotions were running rampant.
Jamie took charge, “Stop! Roxanne says we have this trail to follow for whatever took Conner. Let us follow that, and see what we discover. Perhaps it will lead us to all who are missing?”
Tobias and Levi again started to talk at the same time. They each needed to be heard, but did not really have the capacity for listening now.
“Enough!” Jamie yelled. “Both of you, get in the vehicle. Roxanne, get us following that other transport. We will figure out the stories along the way. It is essential that we depart now, before more distance is between us and the kidnapper. Gentlemen, we have a rescue to undertake.”
Tobias and Levi clasped hands and agreed with Jamie, so they entered the vehicle and sat down. The yellow automacube rolled in and Roxanne began preparation for leaving. The trace signal was stronger in the vehicle since it still had a power source, but their time for pursuit was limited as the trace was fading.
Roxanne stated, “We need to depart now. Jamie please initiate manual over-ride and I will enter the last symbol. I believe I have extrapolated the most likely symbol which was initially used. I may have to modulate the symbol usage frequently to follow the traces we have. Estimates on effectiveness of pursuit are above seventy five percent, with current known factors, but that is falling the longer we delay departure.”
Michael pulled the door closed. The blue light came on around the portal hatch and the transport vehicle left in pursuit of the previous one.
Watching from a distance down the hall was Doeg. He had snuck in and witnessed it all. “They are all witches in league with Asmodeus. They have a yellow demon, and the female gives commands. This is very bad.”
The transport vehicle ride was tense. Levi’s pent up frustrations were evident to all, as he sat, then stood, then sat again. The yellow words lit up on the display screen, “Destination: Habitat Three” then switched to “Destination: Transport Maintenance Bay 543D” then shifted yet again. Over and over different names came up, and then changed.
“Roxanne, when will be reach them?” Levi asked yet again.
Before Roxanne could answer, Tobias asked Levi a question. “Levi, when hunting the bison, do we bring home meat after only a few moments of the hunt?”
“No. But when hunting the bison, I am able to see our progress. Here I am trapped in a box with no way of knowing what has happened.”
“Roxanne, the display keeps switching destinations, and many of those places I have never heard of before. Is this to be expected?” Michael asked.
“Yes, I am controlling the maneuvering of this transport vehicle by modulating the destinations in order to follow the transport ahead of us. It would be similar to you entering and reentering the manual over-ride codes, but I am doing it much more rapidly so as to follow the trace. The names have very little meaning to me as well. However, I am keeping a log of the names. Unfortunately, and this is a simplistic statement, but this system only points the direction but does not actually give the specific locations of any of these destinations.”
After a while, the display finally stopped flashing different destinations and a single one remained, “Destination: Habitat Eight: Secondary Aquatic.”
Michael and Jamie looked at each other. They remembered their last adventure to that location. Neither was sure what to say, but finally Jamie commented, “Maybe the baboons will be friendly?”
Michael laughed as that tension was released. “And that elevator did work. But why go there? But it makes sense, since The Voice was there before.”
Tobias was listening and he slapped his head with his hand, “How could I have forgotten? Please listen to me. When Rector Conner was taken, the machines were speaking like that young woman Tamar. I clearly heard her speaking.”
“Tamar?” Jamie said. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, the red colored machines were saying something about ‘bring out the elder, and I will spare the rest of you’ but it was Tamar’s voice. She said the exact same thing several times. I know it was her words, but it came from the red machines. It was very loud.”
“Red automacubes, and Tamar?” Michael said, it was more of a pondering than a real question. His mind was racing. A moment ago he was deciding how to ‘play a game’ with the baboons again, and now he was thinking of how red automacubes had just about killed both Jamie and him.
“Roxanne, what do you think of this?” Jamie asked.
“Tobias is offering his observations, and he is a reliable witness. I also know Edgar identified the malignant system just prior to when the transport was stolen away, Gideon was injured, and the others were taken,” Roxanne paused for a moment while doing a series of conjectures and extrapolations. “From what we know of The Voice, and of Tamar, which is admittedly limited, it seems highly unlikely they are working together. Although I must repeat, we have very little solid information on either of them. We must be very careful in our rescue efforts, and take extra caution. Both The Voice and Tamar have proven to be surprisingly adaptable, and cunning opponents.”
“Just take us to Gideon, and I will defeat any enemies in my way,” Levi said. He was a bundle of unspent energy.
“I will be at your side, Levi. We will rescue Gideon, Conner, and the others,” Tobias stated. “But I am uncertain just what may be ahead. The facts I know and that you present seem to end up as a riddle to me.”
They rode on in silence, until the vehicle slid to a halt. Then it backed up and the clinks and clanks of docking were heard.
“Friends, we are here. Let us see what we can discover,” Jamie said. “Roxanne, what can you tell us?”
“We have followed the other transport vehicle, and we are parked next to it. There are three slots for vehicles at this location. It is not a major transport facility. Best indications are that we have arrived at Habitat Eight: Secondary Aquatic, but scans are showing some anomalies. I am sorry I cannot offer better information.”
“So this could be a trap,” Jamie said. She withdrew the Willie Wacker and walked to the rear door. She would never forget her first transport to engineering. Those memories were seared in her mind. Her jaw was set, and her eyes alert with intensity. “Michael, we may be attacked as soon as this door opens. If it was Tamar, I doubt we can surprise her, and The Voice always seems to be a couple steps ahead of us. Not to mention unknown automatic defenses.”
“Just another day out with you,” Michael said as pulled out his Willie Wacker pistol and nodded. Tobias and Levi withdrew their permalloy swords. Determined and stern looks were present on all their faces.
Michael pulled open the door.
22 Training for the big game
In Biological Research BR47, The Voice continued the training for the game. A blue automacube, with deep scratches and dents rolled down one of the aisles and in front of the test subjects. “In the game, the automacubes will be loyal to Tamar, and that needs to be inhibited. By breaking the wheels, the automacube is less functional. Practice striking at the wheels with your weapons.”
Gideon swung his sword in a mock motion. Lorna made a half-hearted jab with her dagger. Brink and Regina did nothing.
“Unacceptable performance,” The Voice stated. “Aversive stimulation applied.”
A loud, ear splitting sound reverberated through the area. It echoed off the walls and drove the people to their knees. Even though they held their hands over their ears, they could not shut out the painful sounds. Each dropped to the floor in agony. They writhed about for a moment, but then passed out from the sonic vibrations and pain.
Shammai came out from a doorway as the sound was dropping off.
“Affix the test subjects with the motivation devices,” The Voice commanded. “I need more direct stimulation for best responses.”
Shammai walked over to Brink and attached a tight band to his left upper arm. It snapped into place. He repeated this procedure with all four of the captives. He was much rougher when doing it to Lorna and Regina. Lorna he actually kicked hard after he applied the motivation device.
“Unnecessary, unproductive behavior, again,” The Voice stated.
Shammai shook a bit as the correction was applied to him. The motivational device on his arm squeezed and applied a deep electrical shock. His arm quivered for the pain was intense. Shammai fell to his knees and begged, “I am sorry. Forgive me. I will only do as you say. Please stop?”
“You will not unduly harm the test subjects. They are needed for this game,” The Voice stated. “In this game you may act as violently as you desire toward the human Tamar, but you are forbidden from harming these test subjects.”
“I understand. I am sorry. Please stop the pain,” Shammai was begging and crying at the same time.
The motivational device released its grip on his arm.
“Will you free me when Tamar is dead?” Shammai said, and then suddenly thought better of it. But it was too late. The words were out. He fully expected more grueling pain to be applied. When it was not, his fear rose. He wondered what the demon would do to him now?
“Positive reinforcement option being contemplated. Acceptable. As an added incentive for the game, if the human Tamar is killed, you will be set free.”
“I will kill her myself, just to get free from you!” Shammai snapped. His mind whirled with the other reasons he had to dispense his wrath on Tamar. He blamed her for all his troubles. Shammai thought to himself, as he had done many times, ‘If she had only been submissive to me, as a women should be. If she had not run away. If she had not been born. I would be fine!’ The rage in his heart almost overwhelmed his fear of The Voice. Almost.
After a while, beginning with Gideon, the others recovered from the aversive stimuli. They staggered to their feet.
“Stop torturing us!” Regina yelled.
