The Last Gunfighter Of Space, page 10
part #1 of Cade Stryker Series of SciFi Thrillers Series
‘Ma’am—’
‘Is she the one?’ Andy turned to him indignantly. ‘I thought she was just a dream.’
‘What is she?’ The woman poked a finger through Andy and watched in fascination as her digit slid through the holoprojection.
‘Cade, I want answers,’ said Andy, raising her voice.
‘Cade, is that your name?’
‘Stop!’ he bellowed.
Clutched at his slipping sheet. Wagged a finger at them. ‘Wait here. Not one word, both of you.’
He grabbed his clothes and was jumping back into his shower when Andy sniggered.
‘Men.’
He whirled back at her.
Caught the curve of the woman’s lips.
And was lost.
He watched in fascination as she shared a look of understanding with Andy.
Scrambled back to his senses when his ship shot a look at him, and glowered at her with as much dignity as he could.
He turned the shower to opaque so that he could change and marched out.
‘Ma’am, I am Cade Stryker. This is Andy, my ship. You are?’
He made the mistake of looking into her eyes, and felt himself drowning.
He cleared his throat and looked away.
Then his eyes landed on her lips.
Big mistake.
He straightened.
I am Cade Stryker. Architect of Calara’s AI systems. One of the smartest Humans. Thief who has never been caught. I can deal with this. With whoever she is.
It helped. A little.
‘Cade Stryker. Andy,’ she repeated his name, her eyes on his ship.
‘What is she?’
‘She’s a holoprojection, ma’am,’ he replied, thankful that his ship was silent.
‘She’s not real?’
‘She’s … it’s complicated, ma’am. Just who are you?’
She seemed to snap out of her fascination. Her face paled and she swayed.
He rushed across the room and dragged a chair over to her.
‘Humans, what do they drink?’ he snapped to Andy.
‘Coffee. Tea.’
‘Coffee,’ the woman whispered.
The server bot came, carrying a mug of the brew, its smell filling the room.
She took a sip, closing her eyes gratefully, and when she opened them, color was returning to her cheeks.
She looked at the bot curiously and fingered it curiously. It stared blankly at her, turned around and left when Cade snapped his fingers.
‘Is that a …’
‘Yes, ma’am. It’s a bot. A robot.
‘Ma’am, who are you? How did you get here?’
‘I didn’t sense her. I still can’t. How’s that possible?’ Andy spoke wonderingly.
Cade motioned at Andy angrily. He wanted answers. His ship wasn’t helping, with her interruptions.
‘I am Kiara. Kiara Heaney,’ the woman replied.
Focus, Cade, on her answers. Not on her lips.
‘Where did you come from, ma’am?’
‘Earth,’ she replied in astonishment, as if it was obvious.
‘Why?’ Alarm rose in the woman’s voice after neither he nor Andy replied. ‘You’re from Earth, too, aren’t you?’
‘Ma’am, Earth has been uninhabitable for almost three thousand years.’
Chapter 31
Kiara’s face paled again. Her fingers trembled.
Cade leaped to catch the mug before it crashed to the floor.
The bot returned. It wiped the floor clean. Brought another mug and handed it to her.
Giving them all time to gather their thoughts.
‘Aren’t you human?’ Kiara asked in a shaky voice.
‘Yes, ma’am. But I was born here. A nuclear war started off on Earth in 2080—’
‘I remember,’ she shuddered.
‘Maybe you should tell us how you got here, ma’am.’
‘No,’ she shook her head firmly, gripping the mug tight. ‘You tell me, first. Everything.’
He sat back in his chair, Andy motionless, watching her.
She’s trying to read Kiara.
His ship shook her head imperceptibly when Cade looked at her.
No luck with that.
‘We are on Calara, ma’am. In the Odyssey Galaxy. There were two thousand settlers that came from Earth, originally. A few spaceships carried some escapees when the war broke out. All the Humans on Calara are descendants of those people.’
‘I know of Calara and those two thousand people. I was watching that mission on TV. Why do you say Humans? Like that?’
He took a deep breath.
How do I compress three thousand years of history and development into a few sol minutes?
‘Because there are other species who live on Calara as well. Or visit us.’
‘Aliens?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Really? How do you communicate with them?’ She leaned forward, intrigued.
‘In the ship, their language gets automatically translated. Andy has programs for that. Their ships have similar ones. Out of ship, we wear voice boxes that do the translation.’
She nodded thoughtfully. ‘What about Andy? Is she an alien?’
‘No, ma’am. Andy’s not an alien.’
‘What is she, then?’
‘Artificial Intelligence.’
Kiara turned wondering eyes at Andy, who winked at her.
‘I know it’s hard to take in. Let Cade continue, and it will all make sense.’
He looked at his ship in surprise.
Sarcasm. Whimsy. Humor. Those coated Andy’s words when she was interacting with others.
It was only when she was with Cade that she showed her true self: warm and caring. Kind.
That was how she was now, with Kiara.
‘Ma’am.’
The woman turned towards him.
Don’t look at her eyes. Nor at her lips. Look in the distance. Beyond her left ear.
‘We are in Year 5050.’
Her eyes grew huge.
‘The Odyssey Galaxy is one of many in the known universe. There’s the Auriga Galaxy, Xauxod, Leonis, many others. Most of those are inhabited by their native species.’
Her lips parted, her coffee forgotten, as he filled her in.
He briefed her on the technological advancements. AI, sentient AI, bots, spaceships. Holoprojections. Extended lifespans. The government. Brock. He didn’t mention the war. It would have been information overload.
‘So, you are all ruled by artificial intelligence?’
‘Yes, ma’am. We elected Brock.’
‘And now he’s become a dictator.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘You can’t vote him out?’
‘He’s rigged the system in his favor, ma’am.’
‘Back on Earth, we used to revolt.’
‘We’re doing that, ma’am.’
‘We?’ Andy cut in. ‘Since when did them become we?’
She looked unrepentant when Cade scowled at her.
‘What does she mean?’ Kiara asked, watching the byplay.
‘It means, Cade thinks the rebellion isn’t his struggle. Well, he didn’t. He now seems to have had a change of heart.’
Kiara was perplexed. ‘Why wouldn’t you support it?’
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘No,’ she said, pressing her lips firmly. ‘Tell me.’
‘I am not sure they’ll succeed. There aren’t many of them. I don’t like to support lost causes.’
‘If everyone thinks like you, it will never succeed.’
He didn’t answer. He squirmed under the eyes of the women.
‘I have Irish blood in me. But I have French lineage too.’
Her voice … he could listen to it for hours.
‘My ancestry goes back to the French revolution. My great-great-great grandmother was one of the peasants who rebelled against the royalty. She didn’t have to. The revolution was strong. It had wide support. But she participated because she wanted to. Had to. They beheaded her. But her children benefitted. Fighting for freedom isn’t an option.’
Cade felt small. Insignificant. He rose and paced. Anything to get rid of that feeling.
Two pairs of eyes followed him.
He snatched a glance at the newcomer.
That smooth brow was furrowed. She was biting her lip, puzzled.
‘It’s you. That’s what you said. Andy said something about a dream.’
Cade got back in his seat. This would be difficult to explain.
‘I’ve been having these dreams, ma’am. I see you in a gas station on Earth. Wearing this same dress. You’re driving a green Mustang.’
Her eyes did that widening thing again that accelerated his pulse. ‘That’s my car. This gas station—’
‘Lone Star Station.’
‘That’s just outside my town. Where I filled up, occasionally.’
‘Which town is that, ma’am?’
‘Nelson. A small town in Texas.’
‘This dream has no meaning for you?’
‘No.’
‘How did you get here, ma’am?’ The question that had been uppermost on his mind.
‘I don’t know.’ The confusion on her face seemed genuine. ‘I live alone. Lived.’ She gesticulated weakly, not knowing which tense was the right one to use. ‘I was a historian on Earth, a researcher. I had a good life. And then the war began. The United States, Britain, many Western countries, against Russia, North Korea, China.’
She shuddered in remembrance. ‘It escalated so quickly. Every country had to choose a side. African and Asian countries, those too. Our defenses, American, were breached. We were told no missile could reach us in the middle of Texas.’
She licked her lips. A bot came rushing over with a glass of water. She emptied it, and continued.
‘They were wrong. It was the middle of the day. I was working when the town’s siren rang. I got to the basement. Each house had one. I closed the door above me and waited.’
Her fingers shook. Cade took the glass from her before she dropped it.
‘My house took a hit,’ she whispered. ‘It rocked. I screamed. And that’s all I remember.’
Chapter 32
‘You remember the date?’ Cade asked after a while.
‘Seventeenth of June, 2080.’
Andy brought up a screen. A timeline appeared. Images of Earth, which she zoomed in on.
Texas. Nelson. A small town, as Kiara had described. Two thousand residents. A red-brick walled house. A neat backyard. A green Mustang at the front.
‘That’s my house,’ she said, wonderingly. ‘Where did you get those pictures?’
‘We have them,’ Cade replied.
Too complicated to explain that we have every sol second of Earth’s history.
Andy zoomed out.
The week of June 17 was when the war was at its most intense. U.S. missile shields had been penetrated by Chinese and North Korean missiles.
Mushroom clouds dotted the whole of North America.
The screens disappeared when Kiara made a sound of distress.
‘Ma’am?’ Cade reached out with a hand. Pulled it back when the haunted look on her face disappeared.
She swallowed and composed herself.
‘How did you get on my ship?’
‘I don’t know. I remember waking up. I seemed to be in some kind of box. I opened it, climbed out. Everything was a blur. I didn’t recognize where I was. I hid in some kind of a room. It had a bed. I slept, I don’t know for how long. When I woke up, I explored. And saw you.’
Andy had brought up the ship’s plan even as she was speaking. She was whirling through rooms faster than the Human eye could comprehend.
‘How does she do that?’ Kiara asked.
‘She’s AI, ma’am.’
Andy slowed. Stopped at a room next to the holds, which held a bed and nothing else. It had been designed as a room for crew. However, no crew had ever been required.
‘Is that where you slept?’
Kiara leaned forward, brows knitted. ‘It’s possible. Looks the same. Like I said, I don’t remember much. I felt I was sleep-walking.’
‘That bed has a depression. That room’s closest to where the crates were stored.’ Andy pointed to Cade. ‘Ma’am—’
‘Kiara,’ the human corrected with a laugh.
‘Kiara, when did you get out of the box? Do you remember?’
‘No … but it was dark. It felt like it was night.’
Cade and Andy exchanged glances. Both knew what the other was thinking.
That shudder. Was it caused by Kiara stepping out of the crate? If so, why?
Answers? He had none.
And then he remembered someone who might.
‘Tauxol,’ he breathed, and Andy complied.
She sent out a message and, scant sol seconds later, the general was hovering in the air, facing them.
Kiara squeaked in surprise. Her chair fell back when she stood up quickly and then took several steps back.
‘It’s all right, ma’am. He’s a friend. That’s a holoprojection.’
He didn’t feel comfortable addressing her by her name.
It would feel … too intimate, given how I react in her presence.
‘Thank you for gracing us, Tauxol. You have a lot of time for us, suddenly.’
The general didn’t react to his sarcasm. His attention was fixed on Kiara, who had a fascinated look on her face.
She took tentative steps forward and surveyed him for several sol minutes.
The Neathan was regarding her with an inscrutable expression. He seemed to read her curiosity. He turned a full circle, letting her take in all of him with her eyes.
‘I never thought I would see a …’ she touched the general. Her palm slid through the projection. ‘You are …?’
‘General Tauxol, ma’am,’ he bowed elaborately, his tail curling around him tight. ‘Chief of Military, of the Neathan race.’
Cade was impressed. The general was in dress uniform. Something scaly, with tags attached to his chest.
Not tags. Neathan medals.
‘Kiara Heaney,’ her cheeks dimpled. ‘From Earth.’
‘Tauxol!’ Cade burst out, unable to contain his impatience. ‘How did she get here? It looks like she was in that crate. What the heck is going on?’
The general ignored him. There was something in his eyes. They were calm. Relaxing.
One of his limbs outstretched, Kiara’s fingers flowing through it.
‘Tauxol!’ Cade warned, ‘Tell me.’
‘There are some things beyond your comprehension.’ The Neathan still didn’t look at him. ‘Certain events happen …’
‘For a reason,’ Kiara completed for him.
And Tauxol vanished.
‘You know what’s going on. How you got here!’ Cade rounded on her.
‘No,’ her face was glowing. ‘I don’t remember. I told you.’
‘Then what was all that about? With the general? Like he’s a friend.’
‘Isn’t he?’ She was stroking the air absently, as if she could feel the Neathan’s presence. ‘Tell me about the war.’
‘You first!’
Cade had read about people tearing their hair out in frustration. He had always thought that was a bit extreme. Now, he knew. His hands were halfway toward his head before he dropped them.
He slammed his chair back and strode toward her.
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t back down. Met his eyes squarely.
‘I am not lying about anything. I felt this connection with Tauxol, like something clicked. That’s all there is.’
‘That sounds like a trashy romance novel,’ he snarled.
A look of utter astonishment crossed her face. The dimples appeared again. ‘You have an overactive imagination. It isn’t anything like that. Someday you’ll know. Now, tell me about the war.’
‘What war?’ he dodged.
‘The general’s holoprojection. There were flashes behind him. I know what those are.’
‘Just tell her,’ Andy said wearily.
Cade told her.
Kiara listened without interruption. There was a distant look in her eyes when he had finished.
‘Now, it makes sense,’ she almost inaudibly, speaking to herself.
‘Can you fill us in?’
His barb had no effect on her. ‘Is there a room for me? Somewhere I can change, sleep, and shower?’
‘I’ll show you.’ Andy led her out.
‘But what about—’
‘Cade, you took a long while to accept Deet’s cause. Even now, you aren’t fully convinced. You aren’t ready yet.’
‘Ready for what?’ If bewilderment had a voice, it was his.
‘You’ll find out.’
Chapter 33
Two sol days passed.
Cade was restless. Kiara and Andy seemed to spend a lot of time together.
They seemed to be in deep conversation whenever he found them, but broke away from it whenever he approached, and made small talk.
The Earth Human was an eager learner. She asked questions about life on Calara, the various stars, the organization of the AGP.
She listened intently whenever Cade or Andy briefed her.
Cade found himself following her with his eyes.
Andy caught him doing this, a time or two. He looked away hastily.
He also found himself watching news screens.
‘Give them time,’ a voice spoke from behind, late one sol night.
Andy.
Kiara had retired to her room earlier.
‘Huh?’ He pretended not to understand.
‘Deet and his men,’ she explained with a knowing look. ‘Manufacturing bots takes time. After that, they’ll have to train them. That engine requires a ship. They don’t have one. You won’t see any reports of rebels attacking Calara’s government. Not so soon.’
‘Am I so transparent?’
‘To me, yes. And to Tauxol. And her.’
‘She can read me? So soon?’
‘Yes.’
‘You know how she got here, don’t you? That thing between the general and her? You know what happened.’
‘Yes,’ she confessed. ‘But it isn’t my place to tell you. She will. When she thinks it’s right. And when you’re ready.’
