Star Force 10: Outcast Page 5

  “Command not understood.”

  “This intruder the cargo tentacles are restraining is designated ‘Marvin.’ Release Marvin, but do not let him access any ship’s systems or endanger this vessel or personnel in any way. He is not command personnel.”

  “Command accepted.” The black tentacles coiled back up into their recesses in the ceiling.

  Marvin followed me out of the cargo bay. Once we were in the corridor I could see he still had scorch marks and blast damage along one side. He looked rather unbalanced, as if he’d lost pieces of himself and made hasty repairs. So that part of his story checked out. One of his cameras also appeared different from the others.

  “Wait a minute,” I said. “That’s a camera from the cargo bay.”

  “Yes.” That’s all Marvin said.

  I made a sound of irritation. “Whatever. Greyhound, clean up the cargo bay and repair any damaged systems. And do not allow Marvin to further cannibalize ship parts for his own use. He can have a barrel of constructive nanites, but that’s all.”

  “Command accepted.”

  We made our way back to the bridge. Once the door opened, I said, “Adrienne, this is Marvin the robot. He says he saw a device being placed on the ship. He tried to stop it.” I gestured toward the awkward tangle of parts that formed Marvin’s body at the moment.

  “Marvin the robot…” She lowered the laser rifle she was pointing at him.

  “Marvin, this is Adrienne.”

  “Is she your girlfriend or your wife?”

  “Neither, Marvin. She’s…she’s a friend.” His limbs squirmed around, but I had no idea what that meant. “And she’s command personnel. We’re the only two aboard. The bomb killed her sister Olivia, so Adrienne’s not in the mood for your shenanigans.”

  “I have no shenanigans as far as I am aware.” Marvin seemed to draw himself up, as if offended. “But I am bored after being in that cargo bay for so long.” He moved over to the nearest console and sat down, if that’s what it could be called.

  “Don’t touch anything!” I said as I noticed his tentacles heading for the controls. “Not yet, at least,” I relented a bit. “Is there anything else you know about this attack?”

  “I know many things.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as the maximum temperature achieved by the explosive, its mean specific density, its—”

  “Marvin. I am not interested in the technical specs of the bomb unless they have relevance to who planted it and why.”

  “Then I cannot help you.”

  I stared out the windshield at the pinpoint stars. “Tell me more about this expedition to Yale.”

  Marvin perked up, all of his cameras looking in different directions and his tentacles twitching, as if he wanted to manipulate something. “It involves the ring there. I find it absolutely fascinating.”

  “How did you learn about this?”

  “By a careful interpretation of certain secure communication metadata.”

  “In other words, you were eavesdropping on secrets. Hacking, even.”

  Marvin remained silent, making abortive motions toward the controls. “I can be useful if I may collate sensor readings.”

  “Oh, go ahead,” I said, waving at him. “Greyhound, allow Marvin to access whatever data he wants, but not to make inputs or changes of any kind.”

  “Revised protocol accepted.”

  Marvin immediately plugged in to the control station and became engrossed in accessing all the data he could.

  “Adrienne,” I said, turning my chair around and waving her to the copilot seat, “do you know exactly what Olivia wanted to do on Yale? Was it something to do with the Yale experiment?”

  Adrienne stared at me with those blue eyes. “Not exactly. She said it was going to be an adventure. I just assumed it was an excuse for you two to be alone and shag.”

  I cleared my throat, tugging at my neckline and trying to figure out how to reply to that, and decided on honesty. “We never, um…”

  Adrienne’s eyebrows went up in what looked like genuine astonishment. “Never?”

  “We…we had plans. Why, do you care?”

  “Oh, no,” she said with forced casualness, turning away to tap idly at the controls. “Not really.”

  That was bullshit, I could see. She cared all right, and I could tell she was trying not to show it.

  About an hour out, Greyhound announced an incoming transmission. The display in front of me confirmed it came from the Fleet battlecruiser Valiant, now grounded on Yale’s surface and commanded by Adrienne’s uncle, Captain Sir William Turnbull.

  I cleared my throat, glancing at Adrienne. I noticed Marvin was studying his console, with not even one camera pointed at me, as if avoiding eye contact. “Sir, this is Ensign Cody Riggs aboard the Greyhound, and your niece Adrienne is with me.” For now, I didn’t mention Olivia or what had happened. I had no idea if he’d heard, and I didn't want to be the bearer of that message.

  “Yes, Grantham told me,” said a stern voice. “Are you thick, man? Turn on your blasted visual.”

  I made sure the pickup would not show Marvin, and soon I saw a man with a face to match the voice, florid, with an impressive moustache. He wore a tailored dress uniform rather than the usual smart cloth, which said something about him right there. On the other hand, I hadn’t thought to put on even my own ordinary working utilities.

  Adrienne spoke up. “Hello, Uncle William. Do you mind if we land and come aboard?”

  “No, you may not. This is a restricted area. Now you two have had your fun, and you can turn right back around and go home.”

  “Uncle William, we really must see you in person,” she said. “Or at least see Ensign Riggs. He’s a Star Force officer, after all.”

  “Sir,” I broke in, “We’ve come all this way and would really appreciate your help. By the way, my father said to say hello and ask how you’ve been. He remarked how well you fought at the Dead Sun.”

  “Oh, he did, did he?” Turnbull brightened.

  My bullshit was working. I blew a little more sunshine at him until he grumbled but eventually assented to our landing near Valiant, which was grounded on the bleak surface of Yale.

  Yale wasn’t always like this, but during one of the final battles with the Macros, all three moons had been devastated. On Yale, the vast oceans had been drained by the ring we were now investigating, then the Macro bombs had fallen. Harvard had been treated even more horribly, stripped of its mantle by Marvin to build a probe out of stardust. Dad had managed to find and defeat the Macros at the Dead Sun, but the Crustaceans had never forgiven us.

  Beneath us on the surface of Yale, the mysterious ring lay exposed with Valiant settled just inside its curve. The ship looked like a toy caught in that hoop of dense star-stuff. The ring itself was the color of graphite.

  We set Greyhound down next to the battlecruiser and instructed the brainbox to extend a short smart metal passageway, sealing our two airlocks together. I quickly put on my new Earth-bought Star Force Ensign’s uniform, then Adrienne and I walked aboard. A junior lieutenant led us to Valiant’s bridge. Captain Turnbull greeted us there, receiving my salute with weighty dignity. Adrienne had informed me that her Uncle William was a stickler for protocol, so I put on my best Academy manner.

  He knew about his niece Olivia’s death, but I wasn’t sure if he knew all the details. I wasn’t looking forward to explaining them to him.

  “Well, young Riggs, now that you’re here—” He got no further before klaxons wailed.

  “Unauthorized entry detected. Investigation of breach required. Unauthorized entry…” the automated voice of the Valiant’s brainbox repeated its message relentlessly.

  -6-

  The alarm kept blaring aboard the Valiant.

  “Turn that sodding thing off and tell me what’s going on!” Turnbull shouted.

  “Sir,” said a lieutenant, “The marines report they have apprehended something trying to sneak aboard.�
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  “Something? What do they mean, something?”

  “They say...sir, they say they’ll be bringing it up directly so you can see for yourself.”

  I was pretty sure I knew what “it” was. I had forgotten to restrain or restrict Marvin from leaving the yacht.

  When the main doors eventually opened, I saw a huge Asian guy in a marine uniform that I recognized as Sergeant Major Kwon. He’d visited us on the farm years back. He and my old man would sit around, drink beer and swap war stories. When I was younger, I would sit on the floor and listen if they would let us, or hide at the top of the stairs if bedtime had passed to eavesdrop on them talking about the old days. When I was older, I’d had my first beers with them on the back deck, looking at the California night sky.

  Kwon had a sidearm but no armor. He carried Marvin into the Valiant under one arm. Marvin had the look of a madman's creation—a mechanical octopus composed of spare parts. Kwon hauled the mess to the center of the bridge and dumped it with a clatter on the deck. Turnbull watched in concern.

  “Don’t worry, sir, it’s just a robot,” Kwon said to the Captain.

  “A robot? You recognize this intruder?”

  “Yeah, I know him,” Kwon said. “He’ll talk your ear off if you let him.”

  Marvin rearranged his body with more clanking noises and stood on several of his tentacles.

  Captain Turnbull looked him over with displeasure. “Is someone having a laugh?” he demanded. “You’ve brought this thing out here, haven’t you, Riggs? You must think you're very clever. Get this metal rubbish off my ship.”

  I sighed. “Sir, my father built this robot, more or less, and he helped out during the Macro Wars. His name is Marvin.”

  “Marvin? That infamous slithering disaster? And you brought it here? Are you off your box, man? Fully sentient machines with free will are against the law today, Ensign. We’ll have to disassemble it immediately.”

  Marvin focused all his cameras except one on Turnbull. The last one he pointed at me. “Disassembly isn’t permissible,” he said. “I have specific dispensation from Emperor Emeritus Kyle Riggs.”

  I held up a hand. “Sir, Marvin is a special case. He’s grandfathered. You can’t disassemble him. Legally, he’s a citizen.”

  “Preposterous.”

  I shrugged. “Sorry, sir, but it’s true.”

  “Even so, what the bloody hell is he doing here, invading my ship?”

  I turned to Marvin. “You want to explain yourself?”

  “No.”

  I stared at the odd machine. By now I agreed with Dad: he was obstinate and evasive, as well as a loose cannon. “Marvin, whether or not you want to, you have to explain why you’re here or the captain is going to have to lock you in the brig until we return to Earth.” I hoped to plant that idea in the captain’s head and have him take Marvin off my hands.

  “Why?” Marvin asked.

  “Because you’re not authorized to be here,” I said, exasperated. More and more, I had sympathy for what my dad had gone through back in the day.

  “Incorrect. My authorization is fully valid.”

  “Look, robot,” I began.

  “I don't see a need for disparaging language,” Marvin said in an almost indignant tone.

  “Robot? That’s not disparaging language. It’s just what you are!”

  “If I said, ‘Look, confused male biotic,’ how would you feel?” he asked.

  “Like I wanted to kick your ass. Marvin, if you have some kind of authorization, you have to show us now, and even if you do, sneaking aboard a ship of war without announcing yourself is against regulations. Explain yourself or you’re going to the brig.”

  Marvin reached over and activated the holotank, causing it to light up and display a dozen pages of text. The device was like the old planning tables, but it could project 3D images above it using swirls of nanites held in magnetic fields, all enclosed in nano-glass. “This is my last mission order from Star Force, which authorizes me to survey all the known star systems in order to, and I quote, ‘locate, examine, catalogue and report remaining alien installations.’ The ring here is a remaining alien installation.”

  I leaned over to read the highlighted section. “He’s got us there,” I said. “Hey, this order is almost twenty years old!”

  Marvin replied, “Space is large. I’ve been busy.”

  I turned to the captain, “Marvin stowed away. He also observed someone tampering with Greyhound.” I realized I wasn’t telling the story very well, and suddenly I found myself defending him. Turning back to the robot, I went on, “So why didn’t you just fly out here on your own, Marvin? My father said you used to have your own space drive systems.”

  “Emperor Riggs ordered that I be limited to this basic body, and I have not been able to legally procure a ship of my own.”

  I wondered if that meant he was able to illegally procure a ship of his own. My dad always said that Marvin's interpretation of laws, regulations and instructions was amazingly flexible. He could figure out loopholes like a politician’s tax lawyer. But I put those thoughts aside for now.

  “What did you expect to do here, Marvin?” I asked.

  “Help investigate the new ring, of course. I can be of great assistance to the scientific team.”

  “Yes, I’ve heard of the way you ‘help,’” I said.

  “I detect a hint of sarcasm, Cody Riggs. If you ask Kyle Riggs he will confirm that on several occasions, I helped save the entire human race from extinction.”

  “Are you completely thick?” Sir William demanded. His red face had finally faded back to its natural piglet-pink, and his breathing had returned to normal. “I’m in charge here and I say you’re going into the brig.”

  Marvin replied, “That would be unwise. Your—”

  “Silence!” the captain roared. “Sergeant Major Kwon, seal this miscreant into a cell and make sure he doesn’t escape.”

  “Excellent idea, sir!” Kwon grabbed Marvin and began to drag him away.

  “Your research team needs me, Captain,” Marvin said, not resisting but using his stalked cameras to look back at us. “I have extensive experience with ring technology. If you do not—” At that point his words were cut off by a closing hatch.

  “Well, at least we know he’s as irritating in person as people always claimed,” Turnbull remarked, straightening his uniform jacket. “Riggs, you certainly bring trouble in your wake.”

  I felt like telling the captain to go to hell, but he was the ranking commander on the spot, and I still needed to try to find out who was behind Olivia's assassination. “Sir, may Adrienne and I speak to you privately?”

  Once Adrienne seconded the request, Turnbull led us reluctantly to his office. “Well?” he demanded.

  Adrienne let me talk. I gave a report on the last week as matter-of-factly as I could, leaving out the fact that we hadn’t asked permission to take the yacht. The man ripped me up one side and down the other anyway. That was okay; I’d expected a butt-chewing. In fact, I was used to them, being on the receiving end of many, but this time I really deserved it. After all, he was right about my shortcomings leading to Olivia’s death.

  Once he wound down and I’d apologized at least a dozen times, he ordered me away so he could talk to Adrienne. Family stuff, obviously, or maybe he wanted to double-check my story. In his place, I’d be looking to hang me somehow. Well, Ensign’s bars weren’t called “Shields of Ignorance” for nothing.

  Out in the corridor I spotted Kwon. He had changed into his armor and was now clomping around as he moved about. I went to renew our acquaintance. He said he’d secured Marvin so I suggested that the huge marine show me around. Though he was pushing fifty years old, he still looked great, fit and hale as ever. The nanites kept people healthy and were expected to retard aging, though nobody had lived with them long enough to be sure how long their lifespan would be extended.

  “Glad to see you out here, Sergeant Major,” I said as we walked th
rough the passageways of the battlecruiser. I had to let Kwon go ahead of me as he was so big in his armor he filled the passage.

  “Glad to see you here, sir,” Kwon said. “Your voice sounds familiar—like your father’s twin or something. How long has it been since I saw you at the farm?”

  “Five years, I think. Before I left for the Academy.” I filled him in on what had happened with Olivia and my present trip with Adrienne. I wasn’t sure if I felt like I owed him an explanation or maybe I just wanted to secure a friend and ally aboard ship.

  Kwon shook his head. “That’s a messed-up situation. Sorry about your girl.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” I pushed the pain aside with a mental effort. “What’s with this ring?”

  “We’re just sheepdogging a bunch of tech geeks and their gear,” Kwon grumbled.

  He was clearly not happy with his current lot in life, and I could see why. After fighting Macros and aliens for years, being the senior enlisted guy for a ship’s marines in peacetime must be boring. I bet he’d wangled this assignment in hopes of something interesting happening.

  “Mind if I see the ring for myself?”

  “Sure. Nothing else to do.” He led me down a few decks into the belly of the battlecruiser, down toward the moon’s crust. It looked like the science team must be accessing the surface from beneath the sheltering ship.

  My guess turned out to be correct. We exited a hatch at the very bottom and descended a ramp to the surface of the moon. Yale’s atmosphere had been poisoned by the Macros, so we’d set up a dome of smart metal to provide a breathable atmosphere.

  Off to one side we saw a wall of the stardust-metal that made up the ring material. I’d always expected the rings to be shiny and pretty, but this one was just dull and lifeless, the color of raw iron-charcoal gray with a slight gold tinge. In fact, the whole chamber smelled like metal. A group of civilians had portable consoles and brainboxes set up next to the ring. There were all sorts of leads and instruments attached to the ring or pointed at it. More cables snaked back into the ship.

  Then I stopped dead in my tracks and gaped as I saw a weird, lobster-shaped critter crawling around among the techs. I was startled, but quickly realized the thing wore a pressure suit and seemed perfectly at home in the mess of strewn equipment. It had to be a Crustacean. It was big, the size of a steer, standing about waist high to a man.