Shadow Core - The Legacy (18 page)

“Even if I wanted to do it, which I don't just so we're clear, Static is right. Neither the Zenith nor any member of its crew is accountable to the Council. We work 'with you', not 'for you',” Nexus said and closed the channel, ending the call.

“The council is becoming more and more arrogant. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried something stupid soon,” Static said as he held the back of his neck.

“How did they find out we're in Sol?” Drake asked.

“I don't know... and that worries me,” Static said. “They probably have informants in the Union. And that would mean the inbound fleet knows exactly who we are and is likely prepared for combat. This situation could become very ugly extremely fast,” he said, clearly concerned at this turn of events.  

“What's the Council? Some kind of colonial government?” Kade asked Drake.

“I suppose you could call them that, though they don't really work like most governments. It's an assembly of the leaders of the different sections of our society... if that makes sense,” Drake explained.

“So you elect multiple leaders?” Jude asked.

“We don't elect anything,” Static replied. “The system is purely based on merit, honour and ability.”

“That actually works?” Kade asked, astonished.

“For the most part... it's far from perfect but so far it has worked better than the traditional method of election by popular vote. Positions are assigned to the best person for the job and if they are found wanting they get replaced. The system is circular, anyone that sits at the top is accountable to all others under them. A loss of faith in an appointed official results in an automatic dismissal.” Drake explained.

“So the guy in the screen was annoyed because your actions might end up costing him his job?” Kade asked, trying to understand their political system.

“Probably,” Static answered back.

“But why? Everyone knows that the Zenith is not technically a part of the Shadow political sphere. We are not allowed to weigh in on their decisions, and their decisions aren't binding on us,” Drake said.

“They're afraid that the people will ultimately hold them accountable for any actions we take,” Static said. “Even among our own people the Zenith is not fully understood. Gossip and hearsay would have the average citizen believing that we are under the thumb of the Council. A rumour that the Council has never bothered to set straight. And this puts them in a very awkward position every time we do something dangerous. But enough about politics...”

Kade didn't really understand all the implications of the Shadow political system. She was certain that it was probably a lot more complicated than the explanation had made it seem, but she had never really cared much for politics to begin with.

It seemed hard to believe that just a few hours ago the most worrying thing Kade had to deal with was corrupt customs officers. As well as the occasional contraband scan from passing patrol ships. And now they were stuck in the middle of this maelstrom, with no clear way out and no real knowledge about what was going on.

Perhaps the displays around the room could offer some answers, she thought as she took a closer look, examining the information streaming on one of the many virtual displays lining the walls.

The display was being rapidly updated, creating an intricate picture of the system, showing every cubic centimetre of space. Every rock, every station, the detail was uncanny. It showed installations which even she did not know existed and one asteroid station that she knew very well. It was a small smugglers base, tucked away out of sight in a remote corner of the solar system. Not exactly the kind of place which would advertise its location to those around them.

It seemed clear to Kade that the Zenith was looking for something, but what could be so important to risk upsetting the Solarian Union, she wondered.

Most of the other displays were showing streams of incomprehensible information, flowing past at speeds that no human could ever hope to understand. And the last large display, along the far side of the right wall, was showing a breakdown of the incoming fleet.

The fleet had apparently slowed its approach and was now taking its time to get into formation around the Regent. It was still coming together, but the final intended shape was already crystal clear: an eight sided arrow head with the Regent at the centre. A shape that allowed the fleet to focus all of its fire-power forward while keeping the Regent protected from flanking attacks. It was one of the Union's favourite and most deadly war formations.

And again the question was raised in Kade's mind of why the Union would deploy such a force to deal with just one ship. The Zenith was not a small ship, that was true enough, but the Union's response seemed excessive. Kade was no strategist, or in any way versed in the so called 'arts' of war, but even she knew that this much fire-power was the kind of thing a colony would only ever deploy against another colony in all-out war. She knew that no army in its right mind would ever commit so many resources to hunt down one insignificant target. So either the Solarian forces had lost their marbles or the Zenith was a lot more than it appeared to be.

Kade's mind had been so focused on the wall displays she hadn't noticed that Drake had moved and was now standing by Nexus and Static. Static being in the middle of the trio with Nexus to his right side.

There was a strange feeling in the air, almost like the two sisters had gone back to school and were about to take a test... while being observed by their parents. It was a weird mixture of excitement and apprehension, with a pinch of terror thrown in for good measure.

Something about this scene seemed terribly nostalgic to Kade, and she couldn't help but wonder who the man in the middle really was. The council member had called him Static, but Drake was supposed to be the only human on board. So who or what was he, she wondered.

Her grandfather's tales had never mentioned a male AI, but then again they had never mentioned Zen either. And Kade felt that something about him was familiar, like she'd seen him somewhere before.

“Where's Zen?” Jude asked out of the blue, wondering why Zen hadn't transitioned with the rest of them when they had left the glade environment.

“A very good question... where is she I wonder.” Static looked up and smiled.

“Yay!!” Zen shouted as she appeared just above Static, falling down on him as he scrambled to catch her. Losing his balance and falling backwards on to the ground, with Zen now sitting on his belly.

“Hi dad! Did you miss me?” Zen asked with a smile that lit up the room as she looked down on Static.

“Of course I did honey,” Static replied with a caring tone as he got back up.

Synthetics, Artificial Intelligence, happiness, love, emotional awareness... Kade's mind was having a hard time processing all of these events playing out in front of her, it all seemed so surreal to her.

She had never considered herself to be a closed minded person. She had always thought of herself as understanding and accepting, and yet she was having a hard time accepting the reality in front of her.

Technology had come a long way since space exploration had begun in earnest, but one thing had always remained the same: humanity's basic belief that only organics could be considered to be alive and that no technology, however advanced, could ever be more than a mere tool. Even the emergence of true AI technology had not managed to sway humanity's belief in its own self-declared superiority. Believing that sentience alone did not mean an AI was actually alive.

This was not a subject she had ever taken any time to think about. Just what did it mean to be 'alive', she wondered as she looked at Zen's smiling face.

Kade looked at Drake, seeing his care free and joyous expression in the company of his friends, and wondered what his take on all of this was. Had he faced these same questions before? And if so, what conclusions had he reached, she wondered.

  “You look pale Kade, are you feeling OK?” Drake asked, looking concerned.

“Yes...” Kade replied hesitantly “I'm fine. I just… have a lot on my mind right now that's all.”

“I'd be truly surprised if you didn't, it's a lot to process in such a short space of time. I'm Static, the vision to my right is Nexus and you've already met Zen and Drake. It's a pleasure to meet you in person. Well...” Static paused as he looked around the virtual environment. “So to speak.” He smiled.

“You seem familiar, have we met before?” Kade asked, hoping for some answers.

“What have you been up to?” Nexus asked while eyeing Static suspiciously.

“Isn’t she a little young for you?” Drake grinned mischievously, causing Static to blush.

“What? No! Oh, come on! I'm certain we've never met,” Static said with conviction. “At least... I think we've never met,” He said while scratching his head, trying to remember. Drake looking like he was about to burst out laughing.

“You sure? She did use your code. She's not your long lost daughter or something, right?” Drake asked, trying to provoke Static further.

“I have a sister?” Zen asked.

“For your father's sake, you better hope not,” Nexus said, giving Static a threatening look.

“Who knows Zen, you might have two sisters,” Drake carried on, clearly enjoying himself.

Static snapped at Drake, “Oh shut up! Don’t you have to go put the trash out or something? That fleet is still on approach and we'll have to leave soon.”

“Crud, with all the commotion I completely forgot about Nick. I'll go deal with him,” Drake said and then quickly vanished from the virtual environment.

“I'll go help,” Zen said and then vanished as well.

While seeing Static sweat had been rather refreshing for some odd reason, Kade was still nowhere near anything which even remotely resembled an answer. But she did have one more piece of this evolving puzzle...

“So... the code our grandpa gave me belongs to you? Did you two know each other?” Kade asked.

“Yep, we were friends once upon a time,” Static replied happily. “It's strange though, I thought he had died while on a mission a long time ago. It's good to know he survived and went on to raise a family. Still, I can't help but wonder why he never let us know he was OK.”

“So, gramps really was a Shadow? How cool is that?” Jude asked while looking at Kade.

“Very, but something doesn’t feel right,” Kade said, eyeing Static suspiciously.

“Oh? Such as?” He asked, curious about how much she had managed to figure out.

“You,” Kade replied unceremoniously as she looked at him, causing Static to smile.

“She's definitely related to Jake... she's as blunt with the truth as he was.” Nexus chuckled.

“I always liked that about him. You always knew where you stood with him. He didn't waste your time or dance around the subject, regardless how bad the situation could get by being honest... I miss that. It's a very rare quality,” Static said.

“Wow, they really did know him,” Jude said, clearly surprised at how well they had described him.

The 'Ghost'

Jude seemed convinced, but Kade still had her doubts. Every fibre of her being was telling her to trust Static, but there was simply too much at stake to accept the situation at face value.

“Carry on then... something about me is troubling you, so... what is it?” Static asked, breaking Kade out of her pensive state.

“You all talk as if you knew our grandfather personally, but none of you look to be past 35, maybe 40. Nexus I understand, she's an AI so age doesn't apply to her. Drake on the other hand is human, and yet he acted as if they had been friends. He said he just knew 'of him', but that doesn't ring true with me for some reason. And then there's you... the mystery,” Kade said, and noticed Static's eyes grow wider in anticipation. “Gramps never talked about a male AI. The stories only ever referred to Nexus and Nova. This should mean you're human, but according to all accounts Drake is the only human crew member on board the Zenith.”

“Maybe I'm not part of the crew, did you consider that?” Static smiled.

“Yes, but when we first came aboard Aurora identified only 4 life signs on-board the ship. Me, my sister, Nick and Drake. Zen is a synthetic and Nexus an AI, so what does that make you then?” Kade pressed on, trying to read Static's reaction.

“She's got you there.” Nexus smiled.

“The simple fact is that our grandfather was already well advanced in years when I was born. He was a kind-hearted but frail old man who would not have been up to the task of taking on any mission. And this is where things stop making sense to me. I believe you when you say you were friends. You see... I now remember where it is I know you from,” Kade said.

“Oh?” Static said.

“When I had the vision that let me know how to open the door to the sleeper chamber, I saw through my grandfather's eyes for the first time. I saw him talking to someone in a white lab coat about some mission. At the time I didn't understand what it all meant, but now it's clear that I experienced a memory. And imagine my surprise at realising that you were right there with him.” Kade smiled. “You were the fellow in the white lab coat, weren't you?”

“I thought Drake had purged all of Toby's memories from her mind,” Static said as he looked at Nexus.

“He returned her mind to the state it was in before the merge shock. She experienced this memory before that happened, so it was impossible to distinguish it from any other guided memory. The only way to get rid of it would have been to wipe all her guided memories and you know very well what that would mean. There is no way Drake would ever entertain doing such a thing,” Nexus said.  

“He would have had to wipe part of my sister's memories in the process?” Jude asked.

“Exactly! The only other option would have been to examine each guided memory in order to find and remove it, but that could take weeks and there's no real need for it,” Nexus said.