Amish Vampires in Space (47 page)

“Excuse me, crewman? You’ve seen Congi steal things? Seen it yourself?”

“Well…it’s all rumor, of course. I’ve never seen him do it. Never seen…” His eyes widened, but he drew silent. He stared over Seal’s head at the blank wall behind him. When his voice returned it was a whisper. “Son of a…”

All eyes were on Greels.

“Greels?”

“I’m thinking.” One hand smoothed the side of his black “We’ll move you” t-shirt, making it clear that Greels wasn’t as lean as he should be.

“So you’ve seen him break into something recently,” Singer said. “Where? We’re all in danger, Greels. As is Obelisk. Maybe the galaxy.”

Greels shook his head. “Can’t believe I forgot. I was so angry, but I let it go. Why would I do that? That’s probably Congi too.”

“Greels!” Seal said. “Out with it.”

Greels bobbed his head. “Yeah, okay. Remember that science shipment? The one we took on at Maple?”

Seal let his palms drift lightly across the surface of his desk. Nodded. “I do, yes. The shipment with the cryomatrix.”

Greels’s features seemed to soften. “Yes, that one. With the lady in the box.” A smile. “Anyway, there was another package that came with her. Sealed-up remains, I think. Wreckage or something. But Congi got in there. Opened it up.”

“It was open when you saw it?” Seal said.

Greels shook his head. “Naw, finders are good at hiding what they do. It was sealed up just like everything else. But, you know, I notice things.”

“And you just happened to be in Bay 16 to notice?” Singer said. “I thought you loaders avoided the bays?”

Greels’s face reddened. “Is this about me? I can go wherever I want on this ship. I have clearance!” He looked Seal’s direction. “I like to check things, okay? Make sure loads haven’t shifted. I’m a perfectionist that way.”

Seal gave Greels a visible once-over. Noticed the hair at odd angles and the wrinkled shirt and pants. “I can see that,” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

A head shake. “Never mind. So Congi broke into this scientific shipment. The one that came with a scientist in a cryomatrix…” He noticed confusion among the Amish. “We can put people to sleep for long periods of time. Store them safely. Wake them up later.”

“You store them in bins?” one of the men said. “Like grain?”

Seal snorted. “Something like that. Yes.”

Samuel coughed and turned to scan the faces of those behind him. “See that, my brethren? The degeneration these people now find normal? Canning people like fruit in a cellar. Taking them out only when they need them. When it is
convenient
.” He threw up his hands. “Dear Lord, what is life to them? Where is the value?”

“Now just a minute,” Seal said. “I assure you, we value life. And dignity.”

“We didn’t put you people in a matrix,” Greels said. “Might’ve been better—”

“Greels!” Seal said.

Greels shrugged. “What are you going to do to me? Dock my pay?”

Seal shook his head. “I’d confine you to quarters if I knew we could get you there alive.”

The room lapsed into silence.

Finally, Jebediah said, “What do we do now?”

“I think there is only one thing we can do,” Seal said.

Darly’s image stared up at him from the desk. “What’s that?” she asked.

“We need to open the cryomatrix. Ask that woman what we’re dealing with.”

Greels’s eyes widened. “Open it?”

“You have a problem with that?” Seal asked. “She’s the only one who could shed some light on what we’re dealing with. If this is something that came with her…and even if it isn’t, she has to have
some
knowledge that will help.”

Greels returned to his spot near the door. Leaned against it. “But isn’t she injured? Hurt?”

“Her injures weren’t that severe, if I remember correctly.” Darly looked away, as if checking something on her pad. “Yes, I have it here…nothing we couldn’t treat. Burns and lacerations. I’d be surprised if they weren’t healed already, though. Matrix sleep fosters rejuvenation.”

“What about the infection?” Seal asked. “The parasite. Could she have it, as well?”

“I don’t think so,” Greels said.

Seal gave him a puzzled look. “What?”

Greels shrugged, repositioned himself on the door. “I mean, she looked fine to me…you know, human…”

Darly’s image frowned. “The cryomatrix ledgers should’ve shown the sort of anomalies I saw with Candle. The heightened metabolism, for instance. I would’ve noticed that on my medpad when we stowed her.”

“So we can assume she’s fine?” Seal glanced at Greels. “Like our loading supervisor suggests? Human?”

“It would be good to watch her for odd behavior. Unusual smells.” Darly paused. “Strange teeth.”

Samuel fidgeted. Harrumphed. “She was worried about
our
teeth too…”

Seal snorted, shook his head. “So it seems there’s no medical reason to delay, but there
are
Guild rules to consider. We still have a shipment to deliver, and she’s part of it.”

“Captain?” Singer said, “this is an emergency situation.”

“Yes, and this is a Guild vessel. Despite what Congi has done—has been doing, apparently—seal breaches are against interplanetary law.”

Singer shook her head. “Certainly this falls under the emergency situation clause, article—”

“Forget the book!” Greels said. “We’ve got roving bands of who-knows-what out there. Animals.”

Seal nodded. “I agree. I just needed to mention it.” He smiled. “Now that I’ve done my duty, let’s proceed. It won’t take all of us to do this.” He looked at the desk. “Darly, I hesitate to ask you to leave where you are. You’re a resource we can’t risk.” A frown. “We really don’t know what’s out there. And Jebediah’s wife…we should try not to leave people alone, agreed?”

Everyone nodded.

“I don’t need to be there with you,” Darly said. “The process is fully automated. The instructions are written on the side of the cryomatrix casing, actually.”

“Weapons!” Greels said. “We’ve got nothing!”

“That’s not entirely true,” Seal said. “There are two weapons in my office here. Per regulations. But they have limited use. The energy charge will deplete.”

“And we’re dealing with hundreds of animals and people,” Singer said.

Seal looked over the Amish again. A small group, a barely usable group—even if they were willing to take up arms and fight. And they were neither. “First things first,” he said. “Someone needs to go release the scientist.”

“I’ll go!” Greels said. “I mean, I don’t like going out there, but if you give me one of the weapons.”

Seal nodded. “Anyone else?”

“You should stay here, Seal,” Singer said. “I’ll go with him.”

Seal winced. “I’d rather one of the men…” He searched the faces of the Amish again, eventually resting on Samuel and Mark.

“We cannot be involved in violence toward our fellow man,” Samuel said.

“We’re in a unusual situation, Samuel,” Jebediah said.

Samuel didn’t even turn. “Some of us still follow the Ordnung,” he said. “And the traditions of our fathers.”

Jebediah lowered his head. “Yes, that’s true.” After a few moments, he looked Seal’s way. “I will go with them,” he said. “As long as Sarah will be safe.”

“We have the door locked here,” Darly said. “And we don’t intend to go out.”

“She gets hungry,” Jeb said.

Darly nodded. “I have some food stashed, as well. We’ll be okay.”

Jebediah nodded. “I will go then, Captain.” He looked Samuel and Mark’s direction. “I will obey the Ordnung as best I can.”

Samuel only shook his head. “I somehow doubt that.”

Jeb frowned. “Perhaps the Lord will be merciful. Perhaps we’ll encounter only animals.”

It took little time for them to get under way.
The captain’s two weapons were called “short-range thrust movers” or “sharqs.” They were shorter than the rifles Jeb was used to but longer than a handgun. And of course, they were blue. “Lower powered,” the captain had explained, “but easier to handle than the guns Security uses.” Singer and Greels took these without even looking at Jebediah. It did not bother him, of course. He would’ve waved the gun away if they’d offered.

“What about you?” Singer asked the captain.

“We’ll be okay here,” he said. “My office is the most reinforced area in the ship, besides the bubble.”

She nodded, and after a quick search of the hallway, she led Greels and Jeb out of the captain’s office and turned left.

The hallway here was a light blue color, broken up with an occasional picture of ships similar to the one they were on. Jebediah was tempted to study each one as they passed. But he couldn’t. They were hard to pull his eyes away from, though, because the background of each was some space phenomena that was completely foreign to him. A planet with rings, or a field of floating brown rock-like objects, or in one case, a pinwheel-shaped construct with a swirling cauldron of light and darkness behind it. There were words written on every picture as well. Jebediah asked Singer about them, but she sneered and called them “ads.” He had no idea what that meant.

They followed a series of turns and finally arrived at the entrance to another slideway. It was lit and appeared to be unoccupied.

“We’re not too far from the bay,” Singer said. “A short slide ride, and we’re there.”

Greels seemed especially nervous. His head was constantly turning and moving. He held his gun up near his chest, with one hand on the trigger and the other gripping the side. “Hopefully without company.”

Greels entered the slide first, but he didn’t stop or even pause. He jogged onto the moving walkway and kept on running. He got quite a ways ahead with little effort. Singer just shook her head yet motioned for Jeb to follow. “Running in the slide is a little alarming at first,” she said. “Just get on carefully and then slowly increase your speed.” A smile. “Some call it ’fliding.’”

Jeb nodded and stepped on, jerking a little as he always did, but he started to walk. Then jog. Soon he felt like a deer in the open field. The walls of the slideway seemed to hurdle by. He was reminded of a Bible verse: “They will soar on wings of eagles. They will run and not grow weary.” Their hymnals had a song based on the verse. He found himself humming it as he went.

After a few minutes of that, Greels slowed in front of him. Jeb slowed as well. Ahead, the slide took a gentle turn.

“I want to be cautious here,” Greels said. “Don’t want to run into a herd.”

Jeb nodded. “It is wise.”

Greels snorted. “You mean like going into danger with a scraddlebox woman and a bearded fool who won’t use weapons?” he asked. “Because if so, then yeah, I’m full of wisdom today.”

Singer pulled up behind Jebediah. “What did he say?”

“Never you mind, sister,” Greels said. “Nothing that will change anything.”

“Greels,” Singer scolded.

Jebediah looked at her. “He is an interesting fellow, isn’t he?”

“If you mean ‘the type that shouldn’t have a weapon,’ then yes.”

They reached the curving portion of the slideway. Greels focused all his attention ahead. The next stop came into view. The lights flickered there. It was like a gas lamp in a heavy wind. There was enough light to see that no one was waiting there, though. The slide slowed and they all stepped off. The communications screen mounted on the wall was completely dark, and there were hairline cracks in its surface. Greels noted that with a grunt. He held his weapon at the ready, walked to the exit stairway, and peered down over the edge.

Singer approached the screen. “That wasn’t like that before?”

Greels shook his head. “You see that sort of thing sometimes, regardless. Long trips.”

She nodded, and with Greels leading, they moved down the stairs. At the bottom was a long, well-lit hallway that went both directions. Jeb remembered a similar configuration on the ship’s opposite side. It looked like the way he’d taken to get to Bay 17. He was surprised at first when Greels turned right, but then he remembered this side would be a mirror of the other. They walked a ways in silence.

“You don’t have to do this,” Singer said then.

“You think I don’t know that?” Greels said. “Loading supervisors aren’t paid to be heroes.”

Singer frowned. “I was talking to Jebediah.”

“Oh,” Greels said, coughing a laugh. “Anyway, it beats staying with folks who don’t bathe regularly.”

Jebediah said nothing. Clearly this Greels person didn’t like Amish society. Jeb wasn’t sure why, since he guessed that most people in the galaxy had never encountered an Amisher.

Singer shook her head. “Again, I wasn’t talking to you.”

“I’ve strayed from the Ordnung,” Jebediah said. “But I am still a believer. I know the value of laying one’s life down in love. The value of Gelassenheit. Perhaps my involvement will help.”

Singer moved up beside him. “Help with what?” she asked.

“Samuel says I’ve lost my salvation. Maybe it is so.” He shrugged. “The Lord knows my heart, though. Perhaps He will chose to use me yet. To forgive me. Set things right.”

Singer shook her head. “It isn’t like that, Jebediah. Salvation isn’t a checklist you have to fill.”