The Empress Capsule (Audacity Saga Book 1), page 9
But he had given her a wolfish look when she was in the room, now that she thought about it.
Hadn’t he given all of them that same look?
“Not part of your psychological canon?” Dremer smirked again.
“It’s not a canon, it’s a carefully established body of scientific research. One in which I have—”
“—an advanced medical degree, yada, yada,” Levereaux completed the sentence for her. “Lay off it, Dremer, or she’ll psychoanalyze your ‘auto-didactic’ butt again.”
Dremer’s smirk faded. “I was awarded an honorary doctorate from three different—”
“Drop it,” Ellen snapped. “Get yourselves together.”
Taylor glared. “You started it, Alex. You just want to get your paws on him, don’t you? Not in bed, on the examination table.”
Ellen smiled to herself, although the others probably couldn’t tell. She tried to keep a mask of straight-faced command in these situations. Well, most situations really. That had been her assumption about Dremer as well, but she was glad to hear it had occurred to Dr. Taylor too.
“Yes. I analyzed the threat and approved it before Mo even brought him onboard to speak with Commander Ryu. A Theroki is clearly a risk to have onboard, but he also presents a potential to get access to some of his technology. Our Foundation representatives would approve, I’m sure of it.”
“Simmons approves everything for you,” Levereaux growled.
“Especially since his chip is damaged, we may be able to convince him to let us help him fix it. Or if he is wounded—”
“No unnecessary probing without Sidassian’s permission,” Ellen snapped. Damn, why was it so hard to keep people asking for consent around here? “I’ll not be out blowing up Enhancer labs for kidnapping people and violating patient rights while you’re back here doing the same damn thing.”
Dremer sobered but did not deny the accusation. She was a good scientist, an ethical one, but she was prey to the same temptations the Enhancers fell to all too often. Went with her expertise, probably. “You’re right. Of course. But it is tempting. The people we could save, how much safer I could make you all—”
Ellen held up her open palm. “Convince him, then. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” She pointed up at the mural, where that phrase and several others gloriously adorned the ceiling. It was the most intricate one on the ship, and Zhia, with help from Isa, kept adding to it over time.
“I know, I know. Do me a favor and help me with the task?” She smiled sweetly.
Ellen shrugged. She did not feel particularly hungry to capture anything about the Theroki tech. As a people they were wild, bizarre, chaotic. Not her style. He was not her style. She could barely believe such disorganization fueled any scientific innovation at all, let alone kept it running and sustained it. But as Sidassian had shown, their telekinesis was second to none, and they typically had a score of other enviable upgrades for both ground and space combat. She should probably be more focused on acquiring such tech for herself and her crew. But they were just so damn… She wasn’t sure what, but she didn’t want anything about them to rub off on her.
“I’ll see what I can do,” she said noncommittally. “He’s here now. Beyond his personal tech, as I already said, I think we need to investigate the parcel he carries. I’m concerned we may have missed something in wiping the last lab, and he may have brought it onboard.”
All their eyebrows shot up.
“I should have considered that,” Dremer muttered. “Too busy looking at his data…”
“I want you to see if you can get any more information on the organic in his pack, Doctor. Without disturbing it, at a distance. Or him. You get on this too, Levereaux. I hope it’s innocuous, but… we had better find out what we can. Be advised I did get out of him that his oath is engaged on it, so it’d be best if he doesn’t know we’re at all interested in it.” She glanced around, but they were all nodding and scribbling notes. “I’m trying to get him to go with us on the next mission, in hopes that he’ll leave it behind. In which case, I want you to move in and study it further.”
Dremer nodded, lost in thought now.
Ellen continued. “I also want the option to sedate him somehow. That may be a better bet. Do any of you have anything we could use for that?”
“I have basic anesthesia,” said Levereaux. “But I’d prefer not to use any of it until we get closer to another resource deposit.”
“That’ll be at least a week.”
“Agreed. But we run out often enough.”
“All right. Zhia also suggested something we could fire at him. Work up some options for me.”
Levereaux nodded. “Will do, ma’am.”
“Commander, may I add something?” Xi’s disembodied voice came from the ceiling.
“Yes?”
“I can join in the remote scans of the package, if you would prefer. Also, I believe the doctors would benefit from knowing it is currently stored in the utility cabinet in cabin 6A.”
“Thank you, Xi,” Dremer said absently.
“I’d also like to volunteer to put in an order and courier delivery for a tranquilizer gun. I believe you will be very busy with patients when we land, Rachel. I can arrange everything to be done when we get there, if you give me your preferred gun and specifications. I can also research guns and specifications but would prefer a human doctor make final dosing decisions.”
Well, damn. That actually was quite helpful. “Good thinking,” Ellen admitted. Did AIs think, or was that something else? Good computing? “And yes on the remote scans.”
Levereaux smiled. “Of course, that sounds very useful, Xi.”
“I’d welcome any other ideas you have for putting him out of commission temporarily,” Ellen added. “All of you, Xi included. We need backup options. I’d rather him never know we inspected the thing in the first place.”
“One more thing, Commander,” Xi said. “Kael has requested I give him updates when anyone tries to enter his room. This is likely more a reaction to Isa’s unexpected visit than any suspicion on his part, but you will need to deliberately override my reporting if you try to enter his room. The four of you should be able to do so, but others won’t.”
“Thanks,” Ellen said. Oh, silly Isa. She still needed to track the girl down and give her a lecture. And maybe see if she’d learned anything useful, not that she would be willing to share it.
“Wait—what?” Taylor sat forward. “Isa?”
“Your wife was there—ask her all about it. Isa snuck in there this morning and woke him up with a nice mental probing, apparently. Which I remind you all is not permitted without consent, damn it.”
Taylor smacked a palm over her face but said nothing.
“It seemed mostly harmless, aside from whatever insanity she might have stolen from his head. And she asked for it, against our best suggestions.” Ellen sighed, then cleared her throat. “Did anyone have anything more to add that’s actually related to the upcoming mission? Before I get started on the briefing?”
Levereaux shook her head. “I’ll be ready for Ursa and any other nonhuman patients.”
“I as well,” said Taylor.
“Do you think you’ll need me with you on the mission?” Dremer asked.
“Oh, of course you volunteer for the missions where you can ogle the Theroki,” Ellen said wryly. She was unclear whether Dremer truly knew what such ogling would entail. In Ellen’s limited experience, Theroki had a tendency to unleash sudden, breathtaking brutality. Not the sort of thing the good doctor would not be able to watch easily, no matter what Sidassian’s casual ease and friendliness might suggest.
Dremer grinned. “Beats first aid, but I’ll go where you need me.”
“From what I heard, we can expect more trauma care than first aid,” Levereaux said, voice dark.
Ellen nodded. “Stay here. This looks like a simple find-and-release. I’ll need one or two of you for Upsilon for sure, though. If he goes for this plan and we get him off ship for missions, you can ogle him then. As long as someone else is investigating his plant bits.”
“Oh, he’ll go for it,” Dremer said, grinning. “But I do believe I’m not the only one excited to see him in action.” She stood, preparing to leave, and the others stood with her.
“I have no interest in—” Ellen started.
Dremer’s grin widened. “I meant the crew in general, Commander.”
Was it more or less incriminating to slap a palm to her forehead?
Taylor also smiled crookedly. “That was a telling slip, don’t you think, Dremer? You sure you’re not practicing psychotherapy yet?”
“Nah, I just know the commander’s type.”
“You most certainly do not,” Ellen said coldly, thinking of Paul. She tried to brush the thought aside. The Theroki was nothing like Paul, and she wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Not ever, especially not with these women she cared about so much. And especially not over some feature she could recreate just as well in a sim chamber. Sidassian didn’t have a monopoly on strong jaws and muscled, scarred shoulders. Those dark eyes, though… It would be a rare sim to capture those.
Their leave couldn’t arrive soon enough.
“He’s not your type?”
“I don’t have a type,” she said stiffly. “And I wouldn’t risk any distraction to our mission even if I did.”
“Well. I still think he’ll be up for the missions. He’ll have to blow off that steam building up somehow, and nothing a Theroki likes more than shooting things.” Dremer’s grin did not lessen.
“Maybe smashing things,” Taylor offered.
“Blowing things up?” Levereaux said, smirking.
“I feel like you’re far too amused with this man’s torture,” Ellen said. It had been hell adjusting to life without her chip. For a good six months, she’d felt nearly insane. Then again, hers had had very different functionality.
“Oh, boo-hoo, he has to be slightly less superhuman for a while.” Dremer sobered. “Look, I know it was hard for you when we removed your chip, Ellen. I don’t mean to make light of it. But he doesn’t have anything like what you had, no Starbird grid, no loss of information flow, no Songbird interconnections. If anything, he’s got more info now and the same power. He hasn’t lost a thing. I’d argue he’s gotten quite lucky. I’m sure a Theroki or two would kill to be in his position. Keep most of their abilities and still be able to screw? And he stumbles across a ship full of potential candidates? I wish him well, and maybe a bit of humanity for a while. Not torment.”
Taylor lowered her head, her expression sad, and Levereaux stared off into space at Dremer’s words. Ellen knew what they were thinking, about their own bits of humanity they wouldn’t have traded for superpowers any day. They’d all had the chance at one time or another before the Foundation came along. They’d all made their choices.
Ellen had to agree, and that was part of why she’d joined them, why she’d asked them to remove her Union-placed chip in the first place. It did break her heart to think of how much all those men gave up so willingly, and in her opinion foolishly. What was the point of being superhuman if you couldn’t be human in the first place?
Of course, no one had given Ellen a choice. And right now, Arakovic was likely off doing the same damn thing to some other poor unconscious soul, scarring their minds forever if not outright obliterating them. Ellen was lucky she’d gotten out. She clenched her fist against her thigh under the table and hoped the doctors didn’t notice.
What had been Kael’s reason to give up what he had? Had he regretted it? No, not Kael. They were not on a first-name basis. And would never be.
“That’s the real reason you approved him,” Ellen said flatly, keeping her face a cool mask. “Isn’t it?” Not that she disagreed. Not at all. Caring about people’s humanity was what had put them all on this mission in the first place. Er, perhaps she should say “richness of life.” She was no xenophobe; she just lazily included Ursas and Teredarks and Alums into her definition of humanity.
Dremer lifted her chin, a touch defiant. “We do not abandon those who suffer if we can. And we give them what dignity we are able.”
Taylor snickered, breaking the seriousness of the moment. “And what if that dignity means a good lay?”
The scientist’s blue eyes twinkled behind her swooping lock of silvered hair. “Especially then.”
“You just want to convince him to let you prod his insides,” Ellen snapped, entirely uncomfortable with this discussion at her briefing table.
“No, I believe I asked for your help with that.”
Before Ellen could formulate any response, Dremer spun and headed for the door, and the others followed. Ellen blew out a breath in relief.
The briefing attendees had been forming up outside the closed door anyway, right on time. Sidassian’s tousled, longish hair was among the tops of the heads she could see out the high window. Good. He was going for it. And good thing the room had been soundproofed, even for superhumans. Especially for superhumans. She made a mental note that she hadn’t yet seen the report on standard Theroki upgrades and his in particular. When she’d had the Starbird chip and access to the whole world of information at her fingertips, she could have looked it up right now with just a thought…
Not worth it, she reminded herself. Not worth it at all.
Dremer paused in the doorway. “Don’t forget my request, Commander,” she said, winking.
“Don’t you—” She stifled her anger with a growl. The door was open. “This is not a game,” she said coldly.
Dremer let out a bark of laughter. “Everything is a game. Lighten up, Commander.”
Ellen scowled at the door as the soldiers filed in, all sobering at her dark expression. Except, of course, Sidassian. He raised one eyebrow, his eyes shining with even greater amusement than usual. She restrained a snarl in response. He glanced at the hallway, then back to her, then sauntered to the back of the room and leaned against the wall, eschewing a seat.
Figured. Falling in would be too much to ask for an embodiment of chaos.
She stabbed at the button that brought up the projector and clenched her jaw at the loading screen. Superhuman, bleeding-edge technology in half the bodies on this ship, and they didn’t have a holoprojector that took less than a lifetime to turn on. What good was technology if it was constantly wasting your time? Her scowl deepened.
She hated it when people told her to lighten up.
After finishing the repairs to his cooling unit, Kael had spent the morning on his tablet with a protein bar, taking the time to do the basic research on the ship he would have preferred to do before jumping on it. Searches on the Audacity had turned up little more than a date and location of manufacture—on Capital five years ago. Apparently there had been dozens of Commander Ryus over the years, and the net was clogged with “him.” That made sense, as New Korea had ended up the most prosperous planet in the Pacific Alliance Systems. The PAS had been one of the founding members of the Union, so the Union was full of officers from that system. Maybe if he could get her first name, he could find out more.
That was a good short-term goal. For the security of the mission. Yeah, sure, that was why.
Also getting her to call him something other than Theroki or Passenger 6A would be a bonus. Xi had been easy; you just had to ask. The others would be more of a challenge, he guessed.
He scratched his chin, trying to think. Who had he encountered that would be distinct enough for something to turn up in a search? Isa? No, kids shouldn’t have stuff all over the net about them. Maybe… Dr. Dremer. If she were a widely recognized expert, there should be something about her out there. A quick search for “Dr. Dremer cybernetics expert” yielded a wealth of results on Dr. Alexandra Dremer, including a spate of academic publications and patents on cybernetic tech that had stopped…
Five years ago. Since then, there had been little activity. Almost like her career had ended.
What could cause a respected-galaxy-wide cybernetics genius with a cushy academic position on Capital to give all that up and just… go silent? Retire? And go hopping around war zones on a humanitarian mission? People had crises in their lives that made them do strange things, but jumping on the Audacity seemed like a bit of a stretch. She could have done plenty to help people on Capital itself, although not people affected by the war. Capital was safely outside both Union and Puritan territory, and its economic power insulated it from the ongoing war, although it was not without terrorists at times.
Whatever had lured her onto this ship, he betted it had something to do with those obfuscated patches and whoever was funding this “humanitarian vessel.” Maybe he’d believe that more if and when he actually saw any humanitarian action happen.
His quiet morning was a welcome respite from all the shit that had gone down on Helikai. After that, he’d ambled over to the briefing, which was turning out to be short but sweet.
That was fortunate, because he struggled to pay attention to all but the satellite imagery and the very basic game plan. He kept getting distracted analyzing the velvet, alto notes of Ryu’s voice, which was more clipped and stern than he suspected was usual. She had a bit of a lilt to her l’s and a high-sounding u that made him think she must have been from one of the inner planets. Did she speak anything other than Common? He shook his head, realizing he’d missed the meaning if not the sound of at least two sentences. Pay attention, you fool. If she figured out he was not listening—or worse, just admiring her accent without paying attention—he didn’t want to find out the consequences.
“Nova and Jenny will accompany me and Sidassian—our new passenger, whom I’m sure you’ve noticed. Mo, I’d like you positioned close to the ship but with an eye on our target as well. Zhia and Dane, you’ll stay with the ship.”
“Got it, Commander,” said the orange-haired one. Another lone man nodded. Dark-skinned with a short, neat beard, he was perfectly pressed and hadn’t met Kael’s eye once yet. Interesting.
He fought to listen as they went further into detail, but his eyes kept straying to the elaborate mural on the ceiling of the briefing room. A handful of phrases were scrawled there among lush paintings of multirifles, ivy, roses, and knives. It was a rare and strikingly beautiful combination that reminded him vaguely of an Old Earth tattoo. He couldn’t make out all the quotations in the darkened room, especially from this angle, but he could make out, “No plan survives contact with the enemy,” which left him smirking.
