Regan's Reach (19 page)

Tucking the old mobile back into his inside
pocket the young man hustled from the main street alley back into the crowd. He
began to jog, dodging through the shoppers on his way back to the office.

Not much time,
he thought
. Ahh, such is the busy day of PA to the board.
He
chuckled to himself.
Five hundred thousand dollars! Nice
.

*

The STEIN Traveler: two days from leg three to
Dahlia

Regan jogged quietly behind Marin as the
two lapped level five anticlockwise, the Sydney harbor to their left in a fuzzy
holographic image and the Sydney harbor park to their right. As they made their
way back to Woolloomooloo, Regan considered the lean form in front of her.
Marin had made good progress over the last two weeks accepting help with walks
and a gym program while he rebuilt his strength. Now as he jogged for the first
time she saw his height and stride didn't really suit the small laps. A one
hundred and fifteen meter track meant constantly turning and only a short
stride was really possible. Even she had found the treadmill more useful to get
up some pace.

Neither of them had mentioned the day of
Marin's 'reawakening' which she found a relief. The experience had certainly
fuelled a fresh interest in her own libido however, and Regan spent more time
in her room each morning than she had previously. She had no idea what Marin
did with his free time but was becoming tired of his sullen nature. He still
hadn't thanked her for intervening to save his life, not that she really expected
it, but some acknowledgement would have been nice. She determined to draw him
out that morning over breakfast.

As they plodded around the last bend into
the bay she reached forward and tapped Marin on the shoulder.

"Join me for a coffee in the galley
after you've cleaned up?" She asked nicely knowing he'd become a fan of
the drink.

"Sure. I'll meet you there."

They walked back via the elevator and split
apart to their rooms to shower. Regan needed to sort things out quickly. If Ham
had them on schedule there were only two more weeks to prepare for what she
knew would be the next most exciting/terrifying moment of her life. She wanted
a friend, not an unknown, and Marin had proved hard to reach despite her best
efforts. Ham said he just needed time; well she'd tried, it was time for a more
direct approach.

A long luxurious shower later, Regan
dressed and made for the galley and control.

[Morning Ham. . . . How's our friend
doing?]

[Yes it is a good morning.] Ham somehow managed
to convey cheeriness in a thought. [Our patient is in the control room waiting.
I think he enjoys your company more than he'd like to admit.]

Regan smiled and to her embarrassment
unconsciously gave a small skip as she entered the lift.
What are you so
happy about,
she thought? As the doors opened she could see Marin sitting
in her chair, feet up, with his hands behind his head staring at the blank
screen.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she
called.

"What?" Marin's feet slipped off
the console he had been using and he almost fell forward.

"It's an old Earth expression. I'll
give you some money for your thoughts. It means, what are you thinking?"

"How much?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"How much will you give me for my
thoughts?"

She cocked her head and then saw he was
smiling. Only weeks earlier that would have been the strangest smile in the
world she thought. Now it was just good to see another happy face.

"Coffee?” she asked.

"Yes - I was waiting for you."
He unfolded himself from the chair and stood, tall!

Together they walked through to the galley
and Marin poured coffee. She could tell he was watching her out of the corner
of his eyes as she mashed banana paste into the roughage. She finished and they
reversed roles. Carrying their coffee and mash into control Regan took her
normal seat without thinking. Marin stopped for a moment, just looking at her.
Then without a word he sat in the seat beside hers and turned toward her.

[He usually sits there.] Ham quickly
explained.

Regan jumped. "Sorry Marin, I didn't
think, where do you usually sit, this is your control room."

"I sit here." he replied,
straight faced.

[Liar, he's clearly smitten with you, it's
pathetic!]

[Shut up Ham and talk if you're going to
say anything.] She could tell Marin noticed she was distracted and he suddenly
asked.

"You can talk with the ship?"

"I, err . . ."

"Yes Marin, she can talk with the
ship." Ham intervened. "There was no way of knowing whether you would
ever surface before we got back. It was a safety precaution and she didn't know
it was happening. I take full responsibility."

Marin stood, not quite as impressively as
he might have intended with coffee in one hand and a bowl in the other.

"The ship
can't
take
responsibility . . . this will be my responsibility! No ship can make decisions
like that. Disaster upon disaster, I'm dead!"

Regan jumped in. "Don't be
melodramatic. I don't have to reveal anything; I'll just keep this to myself and
will you please stop referring to Ham as 'ship', he has a name."

Marin sat back down, sullen and clearly
trying to restrain himself.

"That's right." Ham added, ever
helpful. "Show some respect."

Marin sipped his coffee and paused, looking
into the cup. "I have been patient with you referring to the ship as Ham.
As a child I too had such thoughts however," and he thumped the console
with the bowl spilling mash on the floor, "this, is solid! Just
electronics and mechanicals, it's a machine, not a Ham!"

Regan stood, put down her cup and bowl and
stepped up to Marin's chair. She reached up and with her knuckles rapped Marin's
head hard, a clear knock reverberating around the room.

"And," she said "this,"
knock! "is hard," knock! "too you fooool! You are a machine! You're
a self replicating, self repairing, biological machine and you too are operated
by electronics. I know our physiology is very close. There's enough electrical
power operating in your brain to power a light bulb!"

"In his case it's a
very
small
light bulb!" Ham interjected. "A torch bulb, a small one!"

Regan sat back down with Marin, who
appeared still stunned by the raps on his head.

She continued more gently, appealing to
him. "Haven't you ever heard of the ghost in the machine?"

"What
are
you talking about?"
Marin looked blank.

"It's an expression, 'the ghost in the
machine'. You have a body, this incredible biological machine. But in there is
also 'you', you're the ghost. Likewise the ship is a body. Solid, electronic,
incredibly complex in its construction, but there's something else. Ham is
there now. Ham is the ghost in this machine, don't you see?

"Oh . . . I . . . love . . . this . .
. woman!" Ham interrupted "What have you got to say to that big boy!"

Marin stood up angrily "That you need
to show some respect." he retorted.

"Listen to yourself, Marin." Regan
challenged him, "I heard you then, and I've heard you many times before,
you refer to this ship in the first person.

You said, 'you' need to show some respect."
she repeated. "Marin, who is 'you'?"

Ham actually laughed. "Got ya! Ha-ha."

"Let's change the subject please."
Marin tried to get onto safer ground and he sat before continuing. "None
of this changes the fact that my people will not accept this truth. If they
suspect you have a web, they will assume I have abandoned protocol and I am
dead meat. If they know the ship . . . Ham, made the decision, then they will
nuke it and probably me along with it. What will happen to you? Who knows?"

"Then let's go back to Earth!"
Even as she blurted out the words Regan knew it wasn't possible, something was
clearly wrong with Marin. "Forget that." she quickly added. "Marin,
I know something is wrong with you, if there is any chance it can be fixed I
think you should go for it and I'll stay quiet. Maybe I could stay on the ship?"

Marin sat silently, just looking at Regan.

She responded with another most human of
gestures, palms out, a shrug of the shoulders, "What, come on, speak to
me?"

"Why would you do this? Why take this
risk? Is it because you know you're trapped?" He sounded genuinely
surprised.

She just looked at him, shocked. "Well
first, I've never thought of myself as trapped on this adventure so thank you
for that insight. Listen, I'm not stupid Marin; I made a judgement call when
Ham asked me to help. It was a choice, to walk away or do the right thing. I'm
not perfect but I try to do what I hope others would do for me. It wasn't hard
and I'm here. Yes, I hope to get home, but Ham hasn't hidden anything from me
and I think I know what's at stake here."

"Why were you there in the first
place? It would be so much easier if you weren't." He thumped his forehead
with his palm. "I made sure I was well away from the usual paths."

"I was going to visit a special place."
Regan paused, knowing this would be a sensitive area for them both. Had Ham
told Marin that she knew the truth? "My father died up there a long time
ago, he fell on Mt Gouland. I've never had the courage to go there before and this
was my goodbye."

Marin stared at her, shocked. "Did you
get there?"

She hesitated before answering. "No. .
. Ham called me, but don't worry, this was more important and this is what Dad
would have wanted me to do. I don't have any regrets."

Marin leapt to his feet, suddenly all
righteous courage. "We will take you there!"

Regan also stood and put one hand on his
arm. "Marin, I chose this course and I'm happy to see it through. It's
important to me now that you get every chance to fix whatever has been damaged."

"You don't understand, Regan,"
and he turned away. "If there's damage to the web they can't just replace
it, replacement interfacing with a new web is like extra scar tissue, it's not
done."

"Not done? Or not usually done, there's
a difference and we don't know yet that it needs changing at all." Regan
wasn't giving up.

Marin looked in despair.

"Fuck it Marin, don't be such a wuss!
This isn't the person I imagined, that I know you must be. You're an
adventurer, bold enough to travel the fucking galaxy on your own. . ."

"Hellooo!" Ham burst in.

"Well, you know what I mean. Who could
do what you do without going crazy? Be that man now, I won't accept anything
less!"

"I agree Marin." Ham could be
reasonable. "We can make this work and these people have a saying, one for
all and . . ."

"All for one. . . I know it."
Marin drew in a great breath. "It may cost everything, for both of you. I
can't take that responsibility."

"You don't have to, we're already
agreed," Regan insisted, "and just in case things don't work out, let's
plan how we can defend the ship. I have some ideas I'd like us to try and hey,
it could be fun."

"Oh joy, I love it!" Ham sounded
exultant.

Regan continued. "For now, let's sit
back down and finish breakfast. I need to know what I'm facing when I get there
and I'll bet your mom's a real ball breaker. Tell me about your family, tell me
who 'they' are and why this is such a big deal. Then we'll work out a way to
solve this. Think of it as a new adventure Marin, maybe we'll break some new
ground."

They talked for two hours straight, like
new friends. The ice had broken and even Marin was joking with Ham as they told
old stories. If she’d had any doubts about the challenge they faced when they
reached Dahlia they were soon gone. Ham had said they were paranoid and
privately she had laughed. Now she could see the environment at home was part
of the reason Marin liked to get away. He wasn't into watching his back all the
time and he hated the politics. While Regan hadn't asked directly her
impression was that Marin's family was strongly matriarchal, with everything
revolving around his mother. He had openly shared the loss of his father with
her, but not how it happened or where. She decided to leave it for him to bring
up in his own time. Regardless, it seemed his mother now held significant
influence on the orbital which sounded rife with conflicting family rivalries,
all hidden beneath a veneer of respect. During their talk she wondered how this
people had developed so far technologically. Ham eventually pointed out the
obvious. Most development had occurred in a period several generations before
this one. At some point the society had become focused around preservation
rather than exploration. They were desperate to preserve the status quo and
resisted anything new.

"So, in your society
you
must
be seen as a bit of an oddball?" She said to Marin. Regan leaned forward,
interested to see his reaction.