Probe Predators (5 page)

T
rip packed some gravity uniforms and gathered several data cubes to take on board Ian. He heard the announcement earlier that a new download was sent to the Union’s Fleets to change the response time of the Command Chairs to cope with high G maneuvers. The engineers had finished updating Ian’s central processors and peripheral systems and he was now at the cutting edge of Union Computer Technology.

He picked up his bag and looked around the room. Someone had to be chosen to become the new caretaker of the Mansion. There was no way of knowing when he’d return or if he returned. “Marilyn.”

“Yes, Trip.”

“You need to find and notify the next Caretaker to come.”

“Are you certain about that?”

“There is a high probability I won’t be coming back.”

“At this point the probability is greater than sixty four percent that you will.”

“You’re not factoring in the possible appearance of another Family.”

“Yes, I am. Your odds are lower if they don’t come.”

Trip put his bag on the floor and sat down, “Explain to me how you arrived at that conclusion?”

“The Family will not be coming here first. M87 is a larger threat than the Family. The Family should handle them rather nicely. Both sides will be weakened if fighting breaks out and your chances of survival go up.”

Trip shook his head, “Marilyn, whose mind was used to form your personality?”

“Violet.”

“That explains a lot.”

“How so?”

“You do take a rather cold blooded view of our enemies.”

“Is there any other way to see them?”

Trip thought for a moment and chuckled, “No, I guess there’s not.”

“I’ll find the next caretaker; however, you will need to come back and update them on the codes to open the vaults.”

“You could do that.”

“Not until you’re dead. I suspect they’ll need them before then.”

“Let me know when they arrive.”

“I will; and remember, the top floor is always reserved for the previous caretaker.”

“Has anyone ever taken advantage of that privilege?”

“No, not yet; most of them died first.”

“You’re just a treasure of great news.”

“Thank you.”

Trip picked up his bag and shook his head. He went to Ian and unpacked in his small quarters. He looked around and said, “Ian, how do you feel?”

“Words can’t describe how great this is. I can flex my wings and feel every circuit in my body. And the high G maneuvers downloaded are amazing.”

“Are you up for working on the high G maneuvers?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, take us out and let’s get started.”

“Cole has asked if we would like to join him and Andi.”

“Where?”

“They’re in the outer system working on getting acclimated to the maneuvers.”

“How bad is it?”

“You can choose your own level of punishment. Your body can never approach the gravities I can take during maneuvers; but you can come close if you’re willing to accept the punishment.”

“You avoided my question.”

“It’s pretty bad.”

Trip sighed, “Tell them I’ll join them in a few days after I build up my levels of tolerance.”

“I suspect they wanted you to come and take your medicine. They’ve had a three day head start.”

“Is there a way to shorten the period?”

“If you’re willing to endure pain beyond your wildest imagination, I could go straight to the highest G a human body can stand and then slowly back down to a lower level. You’ll need six hours to recover from the first session and immediately do it again.”

“How is everyone else doing it?”

“The standard method of moving the gravities higher as they acclimate to the forces.”

“Let’s do it the hard way; I’ve always been a glutton for punishment.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Time is not something we have to waste.”

“Then we’ll start here at Euclid and I’ll use the planet’s gravity to add additional forces to the maneuver.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Your body will acclimate to the forces; the harder it is at the beginning; the easier subsequent maneuvers will be. You’ll also need a place to recover overnight.”

Trip strapped in and reclined his chair, “Have you downloaded the new command chair software.”

“I have and I’ve actually improved the time the gravity suppressors react to load changes.”

“Alright, I guess we need to get this party started.”

“Hang on!” Trip didn’t know what to expect but his worst nightmare didn’t come close to the next ten minutes.

• • •

Trip felt the command chair under him and knew that it once felt soft and inviting. It had now become a machine of torture. There wasn’t a part of his body that didn’t scream pain. “How are you doing?”

Trip had to force the words out; his lips couldn’t move, “How long before we go back to that hell?”

“About eight minutes. You can call this off and do it the old fashioned way.”

“No…I think I prefer to die quickly rather than slowly. Will you look and see if I still have two feet?”

“Yep, they’re still there.”

“Tell me which one I move.”

“The left….I said the left.”

“I tried to move the right one.”

“Give it some time, your nerves will acclimate.”

“Oh…ok…smoke em if ya got em.”

Ian knew the ancient movie Trip saw that line used and laughed, “Now that was a good choice. Time to do it again!”

Trip started to call it off but his mouth didn’t respond fast enough. The process continued with an hour long break after the next maneuver. Just before the third one, Ian said, “Are you alright?”

“Actually, that one wasn’t as bad as the first. I really think I’ve had hangovers that hurt more…I just can’t remember them.”

“Here we go!”

Trip tried to lay back and relax. It was impossible. The only way he was able to breathe was due to the Gravity Suit he was wearing. At the end of twelve hours, Ian said, “That’s all for today.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“There aren’t any other maneuvers as brutal as those you handled today. You’re going to hurt, but you’ll be ready for the next ones. We’ll do the hard maneuvers at the end of the session tomorrow.”

“Could you take me to the Mansion and see that I’m taken to my bed.”

“On my way.”

• • •

Moe watched the maneuvers Trip endured and mentally winced. He had a mission for him but wasn’t going to send him until he was up to speed on fighting his ship. That shouldn’t take much longer.

• • •

Trip woke and felt a cool towel on his forehead. He didn’t remember arriving at the Mansion the night before and his brain was still foggy. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a young woman dipping a washcloth in water and applying it to his head. He couldn’t focus on her and said, “Thank you…who are you?”

“I’ve been chosen as the new caretaker. Marilyn told me you probably wouldn’t be returning any time soon.”

Trip closed his eyes, “It was either come here or go directly to a hospital.”

“High G maneuvers, huh.”

Trip tried to nod and saw sparks, stars, and black dots fill his vision. He kept his head still and his vision returned. He saw the woman clearly. He shook his head and passed out. The woman smiled and her eyes twinkled. She looked up, “Please ask Andrew to come up and assist Trip into a warm shower. I think it will help him recover.”

“Andrew is on the way.”

Denise stood and walked toward the doorway. She stopped and looked back at Trip and slowly shook her head; he looked so much like him. She turned and left the room.

• • •

Trip came out of the shower and found a breakfast waiting. He sat down slowly and ate it. His communicator clicked, “Yes.”

“Are you ready for today’s activities?”

“If you mean am I able to stand up without falling, I guess.”

“I’m surprised you’re able to stand up; that is a rare accomplishment indeed.”

“How would you know; those maneuvers haven’t been done in more than a thousand years.”

“No they haven’t; but I’ve seen the reports from Fleet on the condition of the pilots going through that regime. Most of them have been unable to stand the next day and that’s using the standard protocols.”

“Oh! I’ll be down to the hangar momentarily.”

“Do you need help walking here?”

“Perhaps Andrew might offer me some assistance.” Andrew instantly stepped through the door. Trip wanted to shake his head but refused to pass out again. “Andrew, how do you do it?”

“Part of the job, Sire.”

Trip sighed. Andrew had always called him Sire. Trip was ranked first in the Genetics Ranking Process and was in line for the throne but everyone knew he would never accept it. Andrew refused to allow him to forget his status and his dereliction of duty. “Andrew…”

“Yes Sire?”

“Never mind; please assist me to the hangar.”

Trip moved slowly down four levels and Andrew ended up carrying him to his command chair. Trip looked at the chair and said, “Demon, get behind me.” Andrew and Ian laughed and Trip fell into the chair. Somehow, it felt soft again. Ian lifted off the hangar floor and moved smoothly out into the morning sky. Trip said, “Open the viewports and take your time leaving the planet.” Trip looked out and saw the Capital of the Union below. The Royal Palace gleamed in the morning sun and was beautiful. The Gardens around it were exploding with flowers that were welcoming spring to the planet. The orderly rows of structures on the surface looked like a giant mosaic of colorful patterns that all came together to say something that was simply impossible to verbalize. It was beautiful beyond description. Trip knew his ancestors had made this happen. He thought about his life and, for the first time, felt shame. He had tarnished them. He sighed and felt something that was foreign; he felt a part of the creation flashing below him. “Ian, let’s go and do this.” Just before the first maneuver began, Trip remembered the new Caretaker but immediately forgot her as ten Gravities forced him back into the Demon called his command chair.

• • •

He didn’t remember arriving at the Mansion that night, either, but he woke the next morning and, although he felt like eight miles of bad highway, he was able to stand on his own and take a shower. He found Andrew waiting on him with breakfast and walked stiffly over to the table and began eating. “Do you feel better this morning, Sire?” Trip shook his head and then nodded. “Our new Caretaker has asked for a few moments of your time to gather the codes to the vaults.”

“Give me a moment to get dressed and I’ll meet her at the vaults.”

“Do you require assistance to the lower levels, Sire?”

Trip shook his head again, “No, I think I can make it.” Trip was surprised again when Andrew magically appeared to help him through the door on the bottom floor of the mansion. Trip decided that Andrew had to possess supernatural powers to always be at the right place at the exact right time. Andrew helped Trip into the huge room and assisted him into a large chair placed in front of the huge row of screened vaults.

“It looks like you’re getting better.”

Trip looked to his right and saw the young woman sitting in a chair drinking a cup of something hot. The steam was still rising from her cup, “I have to start feeling bad before I can feel good.”

“It gets easier after the second day.”

“How would you know that?”

“I went through the process five days ago with my ship.”

Trip’s eyes narrowed, “Marilyn, what are you doing selecting a Caretaker in the Military?”

“Why would I exclude the Military from my choices?”

“You know the current situation; both of us could end up dead.”

The young woman’s expression immediately changed, “What do you mean by that?”

“Marilyn, you haven’t discussed what’s going on with her?”

“She does not possess the codes or the clearance to be told; until that happens, she cannot be given free access to secret information.”

“You’re smarter than this, Marilyn. Why did you select her?”

“She is the optimum choice. The only one rated higher is you.”

“What’s going on?”

Trip stared at the woman and shook his head. She started feeling uncomfortable and Trip said, “I’m sorry. You just…”

“Look exactly like Dee Montgomery.” Trip nodded. “I get that a lot.”

Trip sighed, “Marilyn, if I knew you were going to select a member of the military, I could have just remained Caretaker.”

“Not really.”

“Oh! And why not?”

“You will be out in front of most events and will have a higher risk of being blown into small pieces. She will be used to respond to threats and her chance of survival is twenty five percent higher than yours.”

“Well aren’t you just a cup full of optimism.”

“I think realism is the appropriate term. Once you are reduced to small chunks floating in space, she can direct me to find another Caretaker.”

Trip put his head on his hand and rubbed his forehead, “And people wonder why I drank so much.”

The woman smiled, “This does shed some light on that issue.” Trip looked at her and she said, “No offence.”

“None taken; I deserve it.” Trip sighed and looked at the woman, “I’m Andre Ian Montgomery.”

“I know who you are; you’re not exactly unknown on Euclid. I’m Violet Denise Montgomery.”

“Why haven’t I ever met you?”

“I’ve been able to keep a lower profile than you.”

“Everyone has kept a lower profile than me.” The woman simply shrugged. Trip stood up and motioned Denise to the chair. She came over and sat down. “Once you enter the codes to unlock the vaults, you can enter a new code of your choosing.” Trip pointed to the dial on the panel and said, “To activate the panel to accept the code, you have to enter three numbers using this dial.” Denise nodded. “The first number is 01.” Denise turned the dial to 01 and Trip said, “Now depress the dial.” Denise pressed the dial and the number appeared on the panel. “The next number is 21.” Denise moved the dial and pressed it again. “The last number is 48.” Denise entered the number and as soon as she pressed the dial the control board illuminated.