It is well known that Terrans keep pets, and bond quite strongly with them. The keep the most terrifying creatures as pets, treat said beast as if it was a soft toy, and amazingly survive.
However, whatever you do, NEVER joke about a Terran’s pet dying. There are multiple war memorials and few places where life can never exist because of an off hand comment about a Terran pet.
What have the rest of you seen?
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
30 Human Fred has Questions
31 Human Fred Considers Some More
32 Human Fred Wakes Up
33 Human Fred Debates
34 Human Fred Gets Coffee
35 Human Fred Talks with the Captain
36 Human Fred Reflects on Life
37 Human Fred Waits
38 Human Fred is Scared
Greezek
39 Human Fred Experiments
40 Human Fred Discovers
41 Human Fred vs the Sensor Array
42 Human Fred Keeps Calm
43 Human Fred Editor
44 Human Fred Discovers New Curses
45 Human Fred Stews
46 Human Fred Giggles
47 Human Fred Attempts Dinner
48 Human Fred Plans
49 Human Fred Explains
50 Human Fred Examines Floor Tiles
51 Human Fred Gets a New Toy
52Human Fred Reflects…Again
53 Human Fred Rolls His Eyes
54 Human Fred vs Idiots
55 Human Fred Goes Librarian
56 Human Fred Giggles Again
57 Human Fred and Plan B
58 Human Fred Plan B 2.0
59 Human Fred
“Greezek, tell me that you got that bastard.”
“And good morning to you. Yes, I got him.”
“I assume that I’m in medical and beat to hell.”
“Correct. And what did we learn?”
“That you are a pain. I’ll need to upgrade my helmet.”
“That and to take cover. You gave him a perfect shot!”
“Combat is fluid. Luck is needed.”
“Well it was your lucky day that he was using an energy weapon.”
“No joke. Why am I all bandaged up? Even my eyes.”
“Fred, they had to rebuild part of your skull. You now have multiple plates holding your brain in.”
“That explains a great deal. You hurt?”
“No, just really annoyed and confused.”
“Fair. What all did you eventually find?”
“Legal is having a field day. The Captain is about to glass the outpost and call it a day. The infiltration was really bad.”
“Do we know who is behind it?”
The door opened and the Captain entered. “My timing is good today. Yes, we know who is behind it. We just don’t know who they are.”
“Sorry, say that again.”
“We have a name and a company, but nothing else.”
“Same company?”
“An affiliate. The name is a ghost.”
Greezek frowned. “How did they get a contract without those details?”
“Legal had the same question,” said the Captain. “This is revealing a much larger issue. The Droog must have been working on this for years.”
“This isn’t like them,” muttered Fred. “They aren’t long-range thinkers.”
“Well this plan took a great deal of effort, so someone has a long-term plan.”
“What if we have this backwards?”
“Backwards?” asked Greezek. “How?”
“Oh I don’t know. This seems wrong. We are missing something.”
“At the moment what we are missing is a healthy Fred,” said the Captain. “You are confined to medical until they release you. None of this wandering off.”
“Joy.”
“And Greezek is under orders to keep you here and to prevent you from causing any issues.”
“Lucky her.”
“Fred, shut up. You shouldn’t be alive, so take the win.”
“I know. I know. I’ve just got this bad feeling.”
The Captain stood up, "Given the blow you took, I would assume all of life is a bad feeling. I’ve got to get this station in order before we can address the outpost issue. You recover.” And he walked out.
Greezek sat staring at the wall.
“What is it?”
“I’ve got a bad feeling as well. They had far more help than just Chief and his gang. This required a large network. It would need multiple supply depots, dozens of non-descript freighters, financing, a team of unethical lawyers, some sort of planning hub, and a big plan. That doesn’t align with what we are seeing. Which means we aren’t seeing the full scope. We are the furthest out, yes?”
“Furthest official Sol Command station and outpost. There are unofficial stations and outposts further out, but we don’t maintain contact.”
“Hmmmmmmmm.”
“I have some ideas to upgrade our armor. Some details for close-in fighting.”
“Right. Nice. What do we know about these unofficial sites?”
“Why yes, I’m happy to talk to myself.”
“Sorry. Yes, we can go over armor upgrades. I have some ideas as well. Now. What do we know about these unofficial sites?”
“Basically nothing. We know where some of them are, but there aren’t any established routes out here. No trade, really. A signal here and there. I’m not even sure if we know which sites are still occupied.”
“So a group could hide on one of those sites?”
“That is the point. To do your own thing. An unofficial site is the best place to hide, if you are in with the leadership.”
“Hmmmmmmm. Any of them ever cause issues?”
“Issues? No. They are on their own, so we ignore them.”
“I’m thinking that was a bad idea. Someone used that blind spot to start a long-term attack.”
“Did you know that your voice changes when your different memories talk?”
“Yes. You’ve mentioned it.”
“Well I don’t know who that was, but they are likely correct. The list of potential enemies just got bigger.”
“Not really. Look. I’m slated to meet with the counselor my species sent. Not the government one, the Flen-Rewd one. And is a great help.”
“Good call. I’ll be here. Thinking.”
“Fred.”
“Yes?”
“How do I help my people the most?”
“What? Why are you asking me? What do they need? How can you fulfill that need?”
“They need to be seen as equals and valid, not hidden.”
“Then show them that you are equal and valid, and do it openly.”
“Right. I’ll be back.”
“Greezek. Take time to reflect and grow. Every skirmish has the potential to really mess with you. Don’t let this one break you.”
“I won’t,” she said as she left.
The door closed. Fred was in the dark in a medical bay without any of his gear. Fred sighed.
What did we miss? he thought. Who would have the ability to do all of this? How did they recruit the Droog?
Too many questions, too many options. He groaned.
He groped around, found the tray, found a small notepad and a pencil. He carefully began to write, replaying everything and composing his thoughts.
******
Greezek walked in to see Fred blindly writing on a note pad. “Hey Fred. What are you doing?”
“Thinking. Composing my thoughts.”
“But you can’t see them.”
“No, but I can remember them. This is a puzzle, yes? So I’m attempting to compile all that I know to find the pattern.”
“I hate to break your concentration, but you need to put that away and rest.”
“Why?”
“So when we deal with the next mess, you are healthy and useful. Right now you are a liability.”
Fred stopped writing. “You might be right. Oh. Oh that is clever. Sneaky bastards.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I figured out part of the scheme!”
“We received a message from Sue, Commander.”
“And?”
“It was 25 minutes of her laughing. She was hyperventilating and crying.”
“Oscar, why would she send us that?”
“Oh, I think it has to do with a few thousand pissed-off mutant emus waking up. There was a second message saying that she would send a video after they set it to music.”
“Wasn’t the end of it?”
“Nope. It turns out that the second child isn’t biologically his either. The medical issues stem from her biological not being 100% Terran. Mickles learned that at the scene—no idea how.”
“So he learns that his daughter isn’t his either? As she is hurt at the bottom of the stairs?”
“Correct,” said Oscar, rubbing his face. “And then he took off.”
“What do you mean?”
“He physically ran off. By the time we knew what had happened, we had lost tracking. He took off his communication device and dropped his datapad. So he was in the wind.”
“What about the wife?”
“That got weird. And arrived, learned what had happened, and exploded. She physically attacked the medical techs. We had to arrest her. At that point, I was more concerned about finding Mickles. In that frame of mind, Terrans can do extra stupid shit.”
“I assume you found him?”
“Eventually. I ended up talking to the wife. That wasn’t fun. She is not a nice person. The upshot of her rant was that Mickles cares more about his career than his family, so she can screw anyone she wants. She was more verbose and graphic.”
“Why are they still married?”
“No clue. I brought that up, and was rewarded with a screaming-rant. Something about she was owed a reward for putting up with him, so she wasn’t leaving until she got it.”
“So ranting crazy lady. Fine. That leaves 17 days.”
“Right. I sent out search teams to find Mickles, checked on Agent Thorn, and called Danyak. Thorn was busy with the genetic details of the Windigo, so I left him. Danyak informed me that she had arrested a number of scientists who were attempting to make useful contact with the ursine tribe, so I left her to it. By morning, I assumed we would have Mickles back. I was wrong.”
“What got in the way?”
“He was clever. It took us a bit to get a fix on his trail. Before that, however, the security teams searching for him found an illegal weapons shop. I’m not sure how, but one of the scans indicated that Mickles might be in an old machine shop. When they raided the machine shop, they caught a number of Terrans modifying weapons and crafting illegal weapons. Nothing huge, but a big issue.”
“And I hear about this now?”
“I’m getting to everything. That raid led to three other raids, which led to a final raid at the Aussie station. We have 23 in custody, and months of investigation. It took all day to sort that out. By the time I was done there, I got a call from Danyak. The ursine tribe attacked their observation post. No casualties on our side, but at least one ursine dead and others wounded. It wasn’t a crude charge either. They attempted to flank, which is impressive given their otherwise primitive nature.”
“So they are smarter than expected. Great. That causes more headache.”
“Correct. Danyak had pulled the observation post. She is working with Captain Sue on a better approach. We still need to keep scientists safe, so it will be tricky.”
“Who are these scientists?”
“Terran and non-Terran. They are eager to see a primitive species. Instead of reading a book, they want to experience. They forget the danger.”
“Have they produced anything useful?”
“That crowd? No. Our sanctioned group, however, has been working hard to develop a translator to help with contact. They report having 27 words or phrases translated. Not enough for diplomacy.”
“Do they understand diplomacy?”
“At the time it was assumed they did.”
“At the time? What happened?”
“I’m getting to it. Handling all of that took until midday, so 16 days ago. By that point we had a fix on Mickles, so I headed out to talk with him.”
“Why you?”
“Do you want to deal with that? I don’t. But it’s my job. So I find him on the outskirts of a mining station, hiding out in the old gear. It took hours, but I got him to return to the Terran Command Compound. I got him to talk with a few professionals, but he isn’t cleared for duty.”
“That leaves you one person down 15 days ago.”
“That’s about right. So I reviewed all of the materials Mickles had on the cult. His notes were pretty clear, but I got the feeling that he had already decided how to confront the group. It took me a few hours to figure out why he was so focused on this cult.”
“Do I really want to know?”
“I doubt it. That unregistered Terran? Yeah. He survived the last cult encounter Mickles had.”
“I thought that ended in a huge firefight?”
“It did. This guy escaped.”
“Less than ideal.”
“Oh. It gets better. It’s his wife’s ex-boyfriend.”
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
30 Human Fred has Questions
31 Human Fred Considers Some More
32 Human Fred Wakes Up
33 Human Fred Debates
34 Human Fred Gets Coffee
35 Human Fred Talks with the Captain
36 Human Fred Reflects on Life
37 Human Fred Waits
38 Human Fred is Scared
Greezek
39 Human Fred Experiments
40 Human Fred Discovers
41 Human Fred vs the Sensor Array
42 Human Fred Keeps Calm
43 Human Fred Editor
Fred hated being in a gurney. It messed up his gear. It made things awkward. He paged Greezek
“I’m on my way to medical. Meet me there.”
He wasn’t sure if that was a good move, but he needed someone he trusted to secure his gear.
As he was wheeled into medical, shooting started. He rolled off the gurney, swore, and got into a semblance of prepared.
He counted four, in security armor. He assumed another three he couldn’t see. He was the meat in a cross-fire sandwich, and he was missing armor. Fuck.
He struggled into his pack, arranged his gear, took a few deep breaths, and rolled. Energy pulses crackled around him, but he kept rolling. The corner was his best option.
As he rolled around the corner, he saw two security fuckers attempting to flank him. He fired multiple rounds, dropping them both, but drawing more fire. He wasn’t pinned down, but he couldn’t advance. Damn.
He darted a glance around the corner. They had formed up into a proper defensive line. Odd. That wasn't common practice. What had they been taught?
More fire blazed around him. They were preventing his advance. That was also odd. Defense? They could rush him.
His mind fought the pain meds to focus. Their target was medical. Chief was atoms. Why? What was in medical?
The serum. The failsafe. How to advance?”
Fred switched his ammunition. He had a range of options, but they didn’t know that. His left arm burned like hell, and his left side had seen better days, but nothing critical damaged. He visualized the corridor. He planned his shots
He rolled, fired, and rolled back. Screams indicated he had hit, but not how many. He toggled his com: “Fred here. Medical is the target. I assume recovery of serum. Need support. Out.”
He groaned. The bandage was leaking. Smears of blood streaked the deck. Not a good position.
As he scanned the area, he caught movement. Just a hint. It was behind him. Well. He had to advance. That was the target. Ahead. He toggled his ammunition again. This was a special round.
Fred had spent standard years researching various rounds. Armor piercing, anti-personnel, proximity fused, aerial-burst, soft target, hard target, the works. But this was special. He designed it without a basis. It was HIS round. He only had three.
For a few moments, Fred relaxed. He let his body and mind take a step away from events. He allowed things to get a bit fuzzy on the edge. Then he lunged.
He sprung up, turned, sprinted across the corridor, and fired. Three rounds.
The effect wasn’t instant. It took 30-40 seconds. And then, utter chaos. The molten metal of the shell cores spattered around and onto the security forces. As it burned, their armor joined the molten flow, creating pools of molten matter all over their bodies. There was no escape. No mercy. No rescue. They all burned.
Fred sagged against the wall. He had to prevent the destruction of the serum data. He had to save the medical techs.
But he couldn’t stand without a wall. He could barely determine which corridor was real. He couldn’t breathe right.
He slid down the wall, fading in and out of reality. He knew what needed to be done, but his body refused. The more he pushed, the more he seemed to weigh.
He had made it back on his feet when movement passed him. He couldn’t focus, but something ran past, fast.
He collapsed back to the deck, panting. Colors swan around. Sounds blended and twisted. He looked at the ceiling.
Greezek looked down. “Fred! Keep it together! Help is on the way! I got them! I got them all!”
***
Fred opened his eyes. Many parts of his body objected to this rash act, and he vomited. Things faded to bla…
***
Fred opened his eyes. No vomit. His eyes scanned the room. Medical. Again. He couldn’t move.
He took some time to think. The more time he took, the more clear the room became.
After another period of unknown time, he moved. It hurt, but he moved. His left side screamed if he more than took a breath. His left arm produced a note from its mother to be excused from anything more complex than a wave. Even that hurt.
The room wasn’t unusual, but there was something odd. Something extra. He took almost an hour to identify the locked door. It was a blast door. Weird.
Fred opens his eyes again, and Greezek was there.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh good! We weren’t sure how you would turn out. You scared us, Fred.”
“I scared you? I shot the bastards.”
“Some of them, yes. We are still working out the details. You broke their line, but they broke you.”
“What? It’s just a blast injury!”
“No Fred. It was something different. We didn’t know if you would live.”
“What sort of different?”
“A slow acting injury. It prevents healing and causes more damage.”
“Damn. I thought that was a theory.”
“What?”
“Molecular disrupters. I thought it was a theory. Energy weapons that cause lasting damage by disrupting bonds. Those were the security team, yes?”
“Yes, Fred, it was.”
“How did they get out?”
“Looks like backdoor access,” said the Captain, entering the room. “You bought us enough time. How are you?”
“I ain’t dead yet.”
“Good. Now. The picket is 360 degrees, extra ships arrive by the hour, more repair teams arrive with them, extra combat teams are arriving, and you are hurt. I need you to heal.”
“Right, Captain.”
“And I need you to take a step back from this mess. The station needs you at full strength and abilities. Take the time to get back.”
“Fine. If I must.”
“Greezek will keep you in line.”
“Greezek? She will keep me in line?”
“She is allowed to shoot you if needed. In a non-lethal spot.”
“Great.”
“Fred, I won’t shoot you. I might kick you in the side.”
“Oh that is even better. Fine. Just bring me my datapad. I’ll find something to keep me occupied.”
“Chief. You look…I’m not sure. Off.”
“Well Commander, it’s been eventful.”
“Good or bad?”
“Let’s start with the bad, move to the very bad, and end with the mind-blowing-ly bad.”
“I don’t recall the planet exploding.”
“So. The bad. The thugs hired to be security for the previous Aussie Speaker. They had help. Help we have yet to identify. We have some leads, but we need some of your people to help with tracking movements. It’s a big job.”
“Done.”
“Along with that, we found a black market for weapons and military gear. Two major dealers. No idea how many weapons are in the wild. Not sure how they got to the colony. After the raid, there were fewer witnesses to interview. Found some nasty stuff, which we think is linked to the mining station sabotage.”
“Are we still in the ‘bad,’ or have we moved up a notch?”
“Still just bad. We also found a strange submarine base. It’s completely indoors. You sail in via a tunnel.”
“Wait! I just read something about that. Back in an ancient Terran war. Right here. They hid submarine bases in mountains. Entered via a submerged tunnel. You found out how they got weapons to the colony.”
“You lost me. Sub bases to weapons?”
“Really? I beat you to a conclusion? Let me mark this down.”
“Yeah, yeah. What do you mean?”
“Oscar, they drop the loot from orbit in pods. Pods land in water. We track them, but it looks like standard debris. They have sub. It picks it and delivers it in the hidden base.”
“That…is good Commander. Very good. I guess that connects some things. However, we aren’t sure who uses the base. We found it by accident.”
“How do you find a hidden sub base by accident?”
“Attempting to rescue a cat.”
“I’m sorry. A cat? Small feline?”
“Yep. One of the marines saw a mother cat freaking out that a kitten was stuck. The marine proceeded to rip out a fence to rescue the kitten. In doing so, a window was smashed. As the first marine reunited the mother cat with her kitten, another marine looked in the window. The marines have now adopted the mother cat and kittens. They found three more kittens, and refused to break up the family.”
“Oscar, I’m not sure which impresses me more. A group of battle-hardened Terran Marines rescuing a family of cats or finding a hidden base by looking through a broken window.”
“I don’t even ask anymore. If the universe hands me a win, I run with it.”
“Until the universe calls back.”
“That is why I have marines. On to the very bad. There is some sort of previously undetected megafauna living in the low mountains. You may recall the herd of hybrids we released up there. Well. This creature, described as ‘a fucking HUGE bear,’ is now hunting the hybrids and encroaching on a number of stations, some many kilometers away. We have lost a number of animals and three Terrans. I’m organizing a hunt, but so far none have been killed.”
“I mean, that is bad yes, but…”
“After the first attack by said animals, they have spread and are now attacking a much wider area. I’m talking attacking stations hundred of kilometers from the original sightings. We have damaged buildings, damaged vehicles, at least 78 in medical, and two destroyed low-power stations. Preliminary analysis suggests primitive coordination and an understanding of our movements. It seems that they have been watching us.”
“We checked this planet carefully. How?”
“The original sightings were in the mountains where our scanners had fits. I’m thinking they live in caverns up there. The hybrids got their attention. Then they saw us.”
“To quote you, fucking hell. How primitive?”
“No clear. They can identify patterns, understand dwellings, and don’t like us. Beyond that, it’s all guesses.”
“Well damn. I’ll get a team on it.”
“Heavily armed.”
“Of course. And the worst?”
“We have lost contact with Captain Sue.”
There have been some impressive silences in that office. Silences that got bored and invited friends over. Silences that have cracked open drinks. Silences that froze the air. Silences that made popcorn to watch the next bits.
This silence just hung there. It was a silence that silences avoided at parties. It was shunned by other silences.
“Well *translator fails for about 11 seconds* fuck.”
“I didn’t catch all of that, but I’m going to agree sight unseen.”
“When?”
“They missed two reporting checks. So possibly 12 hours.”
“What do we have to send after her?”
“At the moment, Vera. And, I’m sorry to say, Sparky.”
“You want to send Sparky after her?!?”
“I didn’t say that. But Sparky could do it.”
“You know that is insane? Sending a mobile meteor on a rescue mission! Insane.”
“Agreed. But it is an option.”
“Why would you even suggest it?”
“Because the remaining marines are demanding to do it.”
“The remaining marines want to take Sparky after their captain?”
“Yes.”
“Did they say why?”
“I believe the phrase was, ‘Let them try and stop this motherfucker!’ It is classed as a combat station.”
The Commander stopped. “How well armed is Sparky?”
“As of yesterday, twice as many planetary defense cannons as the planet. I lost track of the smaller stuff.”
“I assume it has armor.”
“Yes, about that.”
“What did we miss?”
“I missed this one. Danyak spotted it. The marines have been ordering heavy armor from five different stations.”
“And?”
“That is five times the regular amount. And this armor as in more heavy tanks or ramming ships. The sort that gives Vera’s weapons a tough time.”
“So, Sparky is an armored, mobile, planet-destroying meteor?”
“That would be a good description. And since the power station is so odd, it’s impossible to target.”
“You like this idea.”
“I like the idea of getting my marines back, Captain Sue back, the Wendigo back, and blasting the hell out of who is in the way, yes.”
“Wait. Sparky is yours. You could send it without talking to me.”
“I could. But I wouldn’t do that to a friend. That would erode trust and cause issues. I’m not doing that.”
“When does Sparky set out?”
“I’d say ten minutes after I leave your office.”
“And the sensor array?”
“As it happens, there are four new rocks in stable orbit around the planet, and the array is going well.”
“You caught four more meteors to replace Sparky?!?”
“Easier than other options. I’ve already notified traffic control.”
“May I ask how?”
“Sparky caught them on the way back. They thought the new ones might be useful. The new ones are smaller, but are also less obvious.”
“Oscar, you and your detachment give me nightmares.”
“Sorry about that, Commander. Should I organize a Cabaret dance with the remaining marines?”
“No. The current nightmares are enough.”
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
30 Human Fred has Questions
31 Human Fred Considers Some More
32 Human Fred Wakes Up
33 Human Fred Debates
34 Human Fred Gets Coffee
35 Human Fred Talks with the Captain
36 Human Fred Reflects on Life
37 Human Fred Waits
38 Human Fred is Scared
Greezek
39 Human Fred Experiments
40 Human Fred Discovers
41 Human Fred vs the Sensor Array
42 Human Fred Keeps Calm
The lights were off, so the datapad illuminated Fred’s face. After 37 hours, he had stood Greezek down, insisted on eating, and sent her to bed. Now he sat reviewing her letter. He scrolled to the latest version, v74.
‘Parents
Through a series of dangerous and terrifying events, I’ve learned the truth. I’m not, as I was raised to believe, a Flen-Datti: I am a Flen-Rewd.
I do not know how you came to adopt me, but I know that you hid my true identity from me. You taught me to suppress my aggression and violence, and you convinced me that any aggression or violence was me being weak.
In a perverted way, you forced me to become violent toward myself. In your eagerness to suppress me and hide my true self, in your calm, calculating, cynical methods, you turned my aggression and violence inwards.
Your ‘peaceful’ methods only hid my violent turmoil. I became an internalized slave to fit your desired mold.
However, after learning the truth, I see your actions as silent violence. You tortured me with your insistence that I act as you wished. You convinced me that I was broken, that I was the problem.
To be fair, I never recall you singling me out from your real children. I don’t recall being treated worse. But even your ‘gentle’ methods reinforced the simple lesson: I was broken because I did suppress as quickly as your real children.
This may upset you. You might be hurt. For this I am deeply, seriously, honestly indifferent. Just as you were indifferent to my shame and fear.
I do not know your reasons for your actions. I don’t care.
Now I am left with many questions about my true self. And I suspect that you have questions. Given that I was never singled out for punishment, I’ll be open and generous with you.
When you have answered one of my questions to my satisfaction, I will answer one of yours.
This is not a negotiation. You accept or you walk away.
I do, however, feel compelled to warn you: a formal complaint regarding the treatment of Flen-Rewd by our planet and its government is being sent to Sol Command. When the planet and its government agreed to, signed, and ratified the Sol Alliance Treaty, it agreed to a number of terms. Based on my treatment, at least seven of those terms have been violated. Sol Command takes a dim view of violating treaties, especially when those treaties were based on lies.
I do not know what this will do to the planet, its government, or you. That isn’t my concern.
In the event you want to know more, send a short message. If that message attempts to explain, justify, or apologize, it will be ignored.’
Fred turned off the datapad. In the dark silence, he stared up.
The sensor array was up and running, with many extra safeties and a few traps. The station was on alert. Repairs were advancing. Sol Command was sending more warships. A Droog plot was just on the edge of perception, and a new—albeit political—front just opened.
He set the datapad on his nightstand, rolled onto his side, and closed his eyes. A record of the last few days scrolled through his brain. He sighed, rolled over, and focused inwards. He began to drift into the warm hazy of sleep.
****
An alarm jolted Fred awake. He was up and half-way in his gear before the announcement.
“All hands! All hands! Enemy ships approaching! This is not a drill! Battle stations! Battle stations! This is not a drill!”
He almost crashed into Greezek as he rushed out of his quarters.
“Fred! What is it?!?”
“No clue! Lock the door behind me. Seal it. Get into your EV gear and armor. I’ll keep you posted!”
Fred sprinted towards the battle bridge.
As he skidded around the last corner, he saw the battle bridge in frantic action.
“Fred!” shouted the Captain, “your extra sensors identified five medium fighter-bomber approaching from behind the planetoid!”
“I told you that space is 3D! Of course they will approach from behind!”
“We don’t have defenses on that side!”
“Who designed the defenses?!? They left almost 50% of the approaches undefended?”
“Don’t look at me! You’ve been here longer!”
“What have you scrambled?”
“Half the picket line is underway at flank. The attackers will arrive first.”
“How far can the secondary turrets pivot?”
“Secondary? They aren’t much use!”
“Better than nothing!”
“Right. Weapons, pivot all secondary turrets aft!”
“Aye aye sir! Top turrets, pivoting aft!”
“NO!” screamed Fred. “All turrets. Top and bottom!”
“But they are coming in high!”
“The ones we see!”
“Weapons! ALL turrets!”
“Aye aye sir! All turrets!”
“Fred, what do you mean the one we see?”
“Those are old fighter-bombers, easy to detect. Newer ships are harder to see. Send in two groups, with the old ones screening the first. One high, one low.”
“Weapons! Use local systems to augment main sensors! Full spectrum!”
“Aye aye sir!”
“Fred, at some point after we survive this, we shall chat about how you know all of this.”
“It’s in my records sir.”
“I can’t access your records! My clearance is denied.”
“I’d say that answers your question, Captain.”
The Captain’s face went rigid. He gave Fred a look tinged with ice and fossils. “Yeeeeesssssss. It does. And you are an engineer.”
“I’d say the station is a bit more important than my bio at the moment.”
“Sir! Seven ships high on screen!”
“Understood Weapons. Weapons free.”
“Aye aye sir!”
The master command and control map recentered, revealing seven small vessels coming over the planetoid on bomb runs towards the station. Blips indicated the station’s fire.
“Sir! Six ships coming in low! Faster and smaller!”
“Weapons free!”
“Aye aye sir!”
More indicators. More blips.
Fred’s mind raced, looking for options. “Captain, I’d recommend sending combat teams to the lower plantoid hatches.”
“Why?”
“Best time to breach a station is when they are preoccupied with an attack.”
The Captain stared at Fred. “You suspect a third wave?”
“No. I don’t want to be ambushed.”
The seconds ticked by. Reports were shouted. The indicators and blips danced. But the Captain and Fred remained still, their eyes locked.
“Security! Send heavy teams to all lower hatches.”
“Uh, aye aye sir!”
“What are your orders, Fred?” smirked the Captain.
Fred twisted slightly, sliding his right foot back just a bit. His right hand dropped from his belt, hanging free, over his pistol.
The Captain’s face fell. “Right. Right. Sorry. Weapons! Update!”
“Sir, the picket ships are engaging! We splashed five from both groups. No hits in the station!”
“Very good. Redeploy the pickets to a 360 sphere after this action. Pull the attack fleet in to supplement.”
“Aye aye sir!”
“Sir! Tram 3 reports contact with a Droog force attempting to breach! Other teams are holding!”
“Do we have reserves?”
“Uh, they are close to main turret 4, sir.”
“Deploy main turret 4 crew to support.”
“Aye aye sir!”
An explosion rocked the battle bridge. Three armored figures charged through the smoke, firing energy rifles.
Fred spun, his shotgun out and ready. He dropped to a knee, fired twice, then charged the second figure, vaulting the fallen first.
In a clatter of armor, they both went down. The grappled and rolled, tripping the third figure, who fired into the ceiling.
Fred’s shotgun fired. The grappling and rolling stopped. The third figure took a pistol shot through the faceplate.
The Captain stood, pistol still raised. “Fred!”
“I’m alive. Not all that happy, but alive.”
“Medic!” screamed the Captain. “Damage report!”
“Sir, the Droog are falling back! Ships and troops!”
“Good! Now damage report!”
Two medics scrambled towards the fallen figures.
“Minimal damage sir! Looks like a flash-bang! A couple of terminals fired, but no serious hits!”
“Understood. Fred?”
“What?”
“Are you injured?”
“A bit. This is one of the security guys. How did they get free with gear?!”
“Lock down the station!” cried the Captain.
Today is a busy one, so I’m not sure about posts.
“Oscar, why do we have a small fleet of Terran warships in orbit?”
“I believe they are dropping something off for Sue.”
“Something that requires seven ships?”
“I wouldn’t say requires. I think they want to see Sparky and Vera.”
“So they send a fleet?”
“Commander, I don’t understand the navy. They do all sorts of weird shit. How they determine how many ships to send where has never been figured out. I swear they roll dice.”
“I assume that we aren’t being invaded?”
“Unlikely. If they wanted to attack, the first thing we would have noticed was shit blowing up.”
“Do you think they suspect anything?”
“The navy. Not a chance. Sol Command? I’d bet on it. But the regular sailors and most officers on those ships won’t know anything. A few might be agents or have been told to do some careful scans, but there wouldn’t be many. Too hard to blend in.”
“Have they asked to visit the colony?”
“No. Sue went out to meet them in Vera.”
“And I assume this is the stealth ship?”
“No. We got that last week.”
“They delivered a stealth ship and no one noticed?”
Oscar sat in his chair, silent.
“Oh. Right stealth ship. Must be a damn good one.”
“Sue claims it’s the best in the fleet.”
“And they gave it to her?”
“It was a big favor. I assume, however, that they have many others, so one wouldn’t be a big deal. She also gave them a story about needing to patrol one of the adjacent systems.”
“Why?”
“Well she can’t tell them the real reason, so she made up a story about strange readings. Actually, she didn’t make that up. We are picking up strange readings for that system, but we don’t need to patrol it. We just need to go take a look.”
“I recall that you mentioned those readings. I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“It’s not. But it gave her a good cover story.”
“That reminds me, what sort of sensors does Sparky have?”
“Just basic stuff. Nothing fancy. I know that some of the science techs want to install telescopes.”
“So Sparky couldn’t be used as an early warning station?”
“Not without some serious upgrades. What are you thinking?”
“High Command reports some unusual traffic not too far from here. Ships beyond our territory, but close enough they track them from time to time. They warned me that the traffic has increased.”
“Do they know what sort of ships?”
“No. Nothing in the database matches the readings. Initially they assume freighters, but with the increase, they are concerned.”
“Well, now that we have another ship, we have a bit more bite.”
“I’d still like to have some warning.”
“Are you asking for a sensor array on Sparky? I’m not sure if we could fabricate one.”
“Technically, Sparky belongs to the Terrans, so it would be your call. And because it isn’t a ship, it gets weird on how to register it. So far I’ve just called it ‘experimental,’ but if we start to use it, we would need to figure the proper legal definition.”
“I say we just make it up. Send in the reports with our designation already filled in.”
“Would that work?”
“Who is going to stop us? It’s unique and we built it. We call it what we want.”
“Does this mean you are fine with a sensor array?”
“Yes. It makes sense. I’m not sure about the details, but when it returns from engine tests, we can start. That just leaves the question of where do we get the needed sensors.”
“Do you think Sol Command would send us one?”
“Unlikely. They dislike having sensor arrays out of their direct control. Yes, I would be in control, but we are too far away for their liking. High Command?”
“Not if it’s going on a Terran vessel.”
“Do we have any trading partners with that sort of gear?”
“I’ll have to check. The trade deal we finally got with the planet from which we got the Windigo might be an option.”
“I’ll check with Danyak and Sue. They might have ideas.”
“Or Sue could call in another favor.”
“I’m pretty sure she is saving the rest.”
“Pity. Anything going on?”
“After arresting the leader of the independence movement at that station, they calmed down. Survey teams are working at the destroyed mining station. Had the typical fights and idiocy. That cult is being watched more closely. We are refraining from direct contact, but we have a recon team in the area, and we stationed a satellite to keep a constant eye on them.”
“They still broadcasting?”
“Yes. We are recording the broadcasts and going over them. Standard ‘find enlightenment following us,’ sort of stuff. Nothing concerning. Yet.”
“Why yet?”
“Cults can change fast. Sometimes they get violent. Mostly towards their followers, but occasionally at outsiders.”
“What do we know about the leader?”
“Not enough. Modest education. No negative records. Just a non-descript Terran. We couldn’t find anything to suggest how this got started. We are looking into the followers as well. That will take a bit. And we don’t know who might be authorities within the group, so we don’t know who is a priority.”
“When do we step in?”
“Evidence of illegal activities. That includes violence towards followers. Most commonly it starts with abusing young children, which is hard to spot from a distance. If things go bad, by the time we step in, things would have been going bad for a while.”
“Would it work to send someone to check on them? Say, just to make sure they have food and medical?”
“If we are careful about who we send and prep them well, that wouldn’t hurt. I’ll see what medics I have with some extra training in hostage work.”
“Hostage? Why not child care?”
“Hostage training is the closest we have for cult training. Child care might give them the idea that we are being nosy. A general medic just dropping by is less of a concern.”
“I take it you have dealt with a cult before.”
“Twice. Both ended bad. One turned into a shoot out. The other went on a rampage. It took us three days to catch or kill them all. They had trained children to use suicide vests. Nasty few days.”
“The only cult I’ve dealt with was a group of drug dealers who got their followers stone so they could have sex with them. Different sort of situation. When we raided them, the worst that happened was a trooper got injected with drugs. He was in medical for over a week.”
“I hope it’s nothing, but I’m not going to ignore it. Other than that, nothing much.”
“The Aussies?”
“The new Speaker has been making a bunch of speeches and bragging about the deal made with me. From what I can tell, most of them don’t give a shit about him. The weather is rather nice, so lots of camping and small parties. Nothing serious.”
“And those wretched mutant emus?”
“Wrangled and more secure.”
“That meat had better be fantastic.”
“They are sending over the first batch in three rotations.”
“Good. I’ll enjoy eating one of those asshole creatures.”
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
30 Human Fred has Questions
31 Human Fred Considers Some More
32 Human Fred Wakes Up
33 Human Fred Debates
34 Human Fred Gets Coffee
35 Human Fred Talks with the Captain
Greezek sat in her chair. She was still, her face blank. Fred was nervous.
“So from what we can tell, those aren’t dreams but hereditary memories. It’s not a well understood trait.”
Greezek shifted. “I was kidnapped as a child?”
“We think so. Genetic testing would confirm.”
“And my parents?”
“We have no idea. There is a bit of speculation on the details. We do know that you are genetically the subspecies.”
“Which is why I have the memories?”
“As far as we know. To be direct, you are the first of the subspecies to ever leave your planet willingly. Well, the best we can determine.”
“So what does this all mean?”
Fred sat back, thinking. “Well…I’d say it means you are clever and learn fast because of your genetics. It doesn’t change anything regarding your job or your position in the station. I’m sure it will change how you think about yourself and your family.”
“Yes. It does. And it makes sense. All of the strange dreams and my difficulty suppressing. I’m not broken. I’m different.”
“I would never say that you are broken. Far from it. You are excellent at your work. You are clever. You learn well. You understand complex things quickly. I’d say you are superior to most of your species.”
“Which is why they enslave us.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The beings who raised me. They adopted me and forced me to be someone other than me. They wanted to control me. To change me. And they did it in secret. I was their emotional slave.”
“In a manner of speaking, I guess so.”
“Were they scared of me? Did they ever attempt to understand me? Or was I just a project to fix?”
Fred didn’t like the direction this was going. Greezek hadn’t moved, but she seemed to be radiating frustration.
“Look. Greezek. This might take a long time to process. I never met your adopted parents, so I have no idea what they think of you. I have no idea what motivated them to adopt you. All I know is that right now you are a talented engineer who happens to have some impressive combat skills. The rest will take time to process and understand.”
“The formerly enslaved make the worst slave masters.”
“What?”
“Those who have been slaves are the most vile slave masters. They know exactly what they are doing and how damaging it is, but they elect to keep doing it.”
“Yes, that makes sense.”
“Fred. Thank you for telling me this. It explains a great deal, but it also creates many problems.”
“I’m sorry, Greezek. But I didn’t think it was fair to not tell you.”
“Oh, I’m glad you told me. I’m grateful. Really, I am. But now I have to rethink many things. And I must learn who I am, not who I was conditioned into being.”
“You aren’t alone in this. You can talk with me. Or you can talk with a medical tech. We have some really good therapists.”
“Right now, I’ll talk to you. But first I need to think. To meditate.”
“That sounds like a good plan.”
“Also, I’m going to write a letter to my adopted family. I have questions.”
“Take your time on the letter. You don’t want to write it while pissed off.”
“Oh I’m beyond pissed off. My soul feels like burning ice. I wish vengeance and torment.”
“Yeah, maybe hold off on that letter. Fury might not be the best approach.”
“There will be a time for fury. Now is the time to focus.”
“Right. If you need, I’ll handle the diagnostics and you can meditate in your quarters.”
“Thank you, Fred. I shall take a stroll around the station.” Greezek stood up, rolled her shoulders, stretched, and stalked out of the room.
Fred looked at the processing cores. They seemed trivial. The diagnosis was done. Now he needed to interpret what it found. And it seemed meaningless.
He sighed, picked up his note book, and noticed something odd. Greezek had made a note in his book. Strange, but not a big deal.
The note, however, was chilling.
‘A life stolen is a continual death. The enslaved live false lives without their real soul. The enslavers steal the potential of a life, offer only a corrupted soul, and reject compassion. My soul is now free. My life is now mine. Those who enslaved me, who corrupted my soul, who attempted to kill my true life, will answer for their crimes and endure retribution.’
Fred read the note many times. He wasn’t sure if he needed to warn the Captain, but he knew that Greezek shouldn’t return to her planet until she calmed down.
If she ever calmed down. And may the gods have mercy on anyone who gets in her way.
Oscar sighed. He had met with legal. He wasn’t sure who was insane, but someone in all of this wasn’t playing with a full deck. At the moment he suspected legal, but he wouldn’t bet on it.
Now the spokesbeing from the station was in his office. This wasn’t how he wanted to spend his Thursday.
“I have your petition for independence from the colony authority. Legal spoke at length, but I want to hear your view.”
“Sir. We believe that since we are no longer a Terran-only station, this violates our original contracts. As such, our contracts are void, and we should be allowed to form our own governance.”
“I’ve read the contracts. Five times. There is nothing in them about Terran only. How have contracts been violated?”
“It was an unspoken part of the contracts. There was the fair assumption of Terran only.”
“And who made this statement?”
“It was an understanding between all parties.”
“The issue is simple. There is nothing in the contracts about who would or would not be in each station.”
“It was an implied situation.”
“Implied by whom?”
“It is standard practice to maintain Terran-only stations.”
“That is an interesting point of view. Do you know why it is common for Terran-only stations?”
“No. That isn’t the point.”
“It is common because non-Terrans refuse to live with Terrans. There are no laws, regulations, practices, suggestions, or even guidelines forbidding non-Terrans. It is by choice. The fact that non-Terrans have agreed to live with Terrans has no legal implications.”
“We Terrans signed those contracts under the unspoken agreement that our station would be Terran-only. As such, our contracts have been violated.”
“Honest question. Exactly how stupid are you? Your contract had nothing to say about who will be in a station. Nothing. There is nothing ‘unspoken’ about Terrans-only. There has never been anything in any colony contract to suggest such. In fact, many colonies have specific guidelines on how to prevent single-species stations.”
“You insult me.”
“No, I haven’t gotten to insults. I honestly want to know how stupid you really are. Your claim is baseless. Your argument is without support. The best you can give me is that you are a xenophobic bigot.”
“Sir! I protest!”
“To which statement?”
“I am not stupid, nor am I xenophobic!”
“But you accept the bigot? Fair enough. Look. Legal can get stuffed. The contracts have nothing regarding who can or cannot be in a station. If you dislike being around non-Terrans, I can send you back to Terra. Otherwise, I’ll treat any resistance to colony authority as mutiny. You’ll still end up back in Sol Command, but in a less comfortable setting.”
“Sir! This is an outrage! I’m a loyal Terran! As are those in my station! We did not sign up for this!”
“Actually, you did. There is a nice clause in all of the contracts. Maybe you missed it. It says, and I quote, ‘No distinction will be made regarding species.’ That is pretty clear.”
“That is in reference to laws!”
“Ah, but that is the core point. No distinction. Period. That means all the laws, and in this case, there are no laws about who can live and work where.”
“We refuse to participate in a mixing species station!”
“That is acceptable.”
“What?!?”
“Oh, didn’t I mention the laws? Refusal to adhere to the laws is a crime. In this case, mutiny. Therefore, you are hereby arrested for attempted mutiny. You shall be tried and sent to prison under Sol Command. Sergeant!”
A marine entered the office.
“This man is under arrest. Detain him in the holding cells. Solitary.”
There was some protest. After the marine had dragged the spokesbeing out, Fred turned to paperwork.
Danyak entered. “What was that?”
“I solved the independence issue.”
“By arresting the leader?”
“For mutiny.”
“And that will work?”
“For now it will be enough. The next one I shoot.”
“Shoot?”
“Yes. Firing squad. It’s within my authority. I checked. Legal wasn’t happy, but I have the law on my side.”
“Wouldn’t a softer approach work?”
“I tried it. It failed.”
“What? You didn’t try…ohhhhhhh. I was the softer approach.”
“Correct. You attempted reason and legal. They ignored it. I stuck with legal. They ignored it. I didn’t.”
“Interesting. What is this big secret I can’t know?”
“How well can you stand torture?”
“I’m sorry?”
“How well can you resist torture. Simple question.”
“I don’t know. Why?”
“Then you can’t know. I could likely have you telling me everything you know and you making up shit to get me to stop in about 24 hours. And I’m not trained. Do you want to be in a position where a trained person wants to torture you?”
“Not really.”
“Then you can’t know. Simple as that.”
“It must be big.”
“How is recovery going?”
“I see. Recovery has identified 98% of the residents of the mining station. Given the blast, we assume the rest won’t be found.”
“At least two are alive and attempting to hide.”
“Oh? How do you know this?”
“Intersepted transmission. They used code names. They reported a successful mission and requested instructions.”
“That was fast.”
“Captain Sue has good people.”
“Good Agents, you mean.”
“Good staff. The more you dig, the more likely you learn too much.”
“I can’t help it if someone is thinking it. It’s not like I can turn it off.”
“No, but you can keep your mouth shut. I know that you can read people’s thoughts. You don’t have to talk about it. Look. I don’t want you in the position of deciding between hours of pain or telling someone what they want to know. How can I be more clear?”
“Fine. I assume I can at least talk with you?”
“To a degree. I know that you are hoping to catch me off guard. I know that you are hoping to catch Captain Sue off guard. However, I will personally order you shot if you keep trying.”
“I see. You don’t trust me.”
“Oh I trust you. I do. Right up to the torture.”
“That is an odd statement.”
“Danyak, you aren’t getting it. Let me be clear. There are thousands of powerful beings who would gladly see you on a table being dissected alive to learn what I know. They would happily see your limbs being burned off with acid. They would pay good money for you to be flayed. Some would likely be fine with you being boiled in oil. I’d bet a few found personally crush your bones with a mallet. And I don’t want them to have a reason to do any of those things.”
“You are serious, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Well, I see your point. I’ll stop prying.”
“Good. Now what the hell is going on with the Aussies?”
“Oh. That.” Danyak rolled all six eyes. “So a non-Terran moved to the Aussie station. For unknown reasons, this individual thought they had a good scheme for exporting emu meat. Granted, it’s a good idea. Good meat ratio. Lots of places want good animal protein.”
“Oh gods.”
“Well this individual started thinking about increasing the meat to feed ratio. They began with standard breeding practices, but apparently that wasn’t fast enough.”
“Please no. Not that.”
“Yep. Growth hormones. And some genetic splicing.”
“How bad?”
“At the moment, about 200 genetically-modified emus have escaped.”
“What is the Speaker doing about this?”
“Begging for our help. The birds are in three herds, two aren’t doing much damage, but the third overran a farm settlement. Five wounded. Three buildings destroyed. Crops total loss.”
“Send in the marines.”
“Already told Captain Sue.”
“And what is the Speaker doing about the utter moron?”
“They were arrested and sent to Colony HQ for trial.”
“That is something. Are the other herds stable?
“So far, yes. I hate to report this, but the meat is excellent. Other ranchers are attempting to catch a few to breed with their herds.”
“Fuck.”
“You aren’t my type, and our physiology doesn’t match.”
“Ah. You are learning. Good. Tell the Speaker to cull the non-damaging herds on his own. The marines will handle the harmful one.”
“Right. Now on to Sparky.”
“Oh goody.”
“No one died, but they ran a full power test. It will be five months before they can fix the damage to the convention center.”
“Someone attempted to turn?”
“Recordings show that it was an accident. The acceleration was greater than expected, and a crew member grabbed the steering column as they fell.”
“I mean, that is impressive acceleration for a meteor.”
“Yes. Very impressive. We still aren’t sure how it works.”
“That is a puzzle. Do you think they are hiding it or just making it up?”
“I’d say a bit of both. I think they have a theory, but not much else. Based on sensor data, it could likely go faster, but there were some readings that suggest inefficiency.”
“Do. Not. Tell. Them.”
“Right. I agree. We don’t want a meteor that can’t steer going too fast.”
“No, we don’t. Anything else?”
“Yes. That strange group who wandered off. They have built a few stone structures. They have also managed to construct a crude transmitter, and they are broadcasting some bizarre messages.”
“Defund bizarre.”
“Religious rants, as far as I can tell. I tasked intel to review it.”
“Rants?”
“Yes. How life is being crushed by technology. How all beings must ground themselves to the life of the cosmos. There was mention of spreading life, which intel suspects means interbreeding.”
“Oh joy. One of those sorts. They make any demands?”
“None. They are just broadcasting.”
“Well, keep an eye on them. Cults like that can turn violent, so we should monitor them, but not antagonize them.”
“No mutiny for them?”
“They aren’t refusing to follow the law. They are simply living in an unsecure location. Different laws apply.”
“And if they refuse to follow the law?”
“Then we start with reason.”
“Before we shoot them.”
“Shooting is a last resort.”
“Right. Except for me.”
“I’ve tried reason multiple times. I’ve attempted logic. I’ve attempted direct orders. Shooting is the last result.”
“Granted.”
“And you are my XO. I hold you to a higher standard.”
“I appreciate that.”
“You are learning sarcasm well.”
“I’ve been spending time with the marines. They are the only ones who will eat with me.”
“Good. They can teach you a great deal.”
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
30 Human Fred has Questions
31 Human Fred Considers Some More
32 Human Fred Wakes Up
33 Human Fred Debates
34 Human Fred Gets Coffee
“You wanted to see me Captain?”
“Yes. Close the door.”
“Sounds serious,” said Fred after he closed the door.
“You asked about Greezek’s species. Well, we found something. Her species has a subspecies. They try to keep it secret.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Well we aren’t 100% sure. However, we do know that the subspecies is more aggressive. They are basically the warrior-class. Her people kidnap the children when they are very young and raise them as their own. We think it’s to prevent the aggressiveness.”
“So Greezek is one of the subspecies?”
“Yes. Her bloodwork tipped us off.”
“That could explain a few things.”
“Oh it’s gets better. The subspecies is one of the few beings with generational memory.”
“Wait. Are you saying that she retains memories from her parents?”
“Parents. Grandparents. Basically any of her ancestors. It isn’t well understood, but what looks like being a fast learner might be tapping into hereditary memories.”
“That explains her sudden combat abilities. And a few other things.”
“Yes. There is a catch.”
“Isn’t there always?”
“She doesn’t know.”
“She doesn’t know?!? How doesn’t she know?!”
“This is between us, but I think she was kidnapped as an infant and raised to be ‘normal’ in her people’s eyes.”
“You know, this is pretty fucked up.”
“To us, yes. But to her people? They think it’s the right thing to do. They don’t want to exterminate the subspecies, but they also don't want them around.”
“So they try to hide the subspecies and steal their children to water-down the genetics?”
“It appears so.”
“It’s still fucked up.”
“I agree. Now the tricky part: do we tell her?”
“You want me, a human, to tell Greezek, who has generations of warrior memories, that who she thinks of as her parents actually kidnapped her and raised her to suppress her memories?”
“Only if she is unarmed.”
“Cute. Real cute. Should I just overload the fusion cores now and get it over with?”
“I doubt it will be that bad.”
“Look, you didn’t see her fighting. She was fucking singing!”
“Fred, you are the only one who really knows her. It would be worse coming from me or a medical tech.”
“That is true. She’ll just kill me. They would bits of you scattered around the station with curses written in your blood.”
“Do you honestly think she will kill you?”
“You know what? I have no idea what she will do. Oh I have a few ideas of what she might do, but not what she will do.”
“It’s your call. Tell her or not.”
“That’s a dick move.”
“No. It’s a command move.”
“Same thing. This day gets better and better.”
*****
Fred walked into his day room, which was now more of a workshop than a living space. Greezek was studying schematics of the IFF memory core.
“Hi Fred! What did the Captain want?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You really wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just too crazy. What did you find?”
Greezek narrowed her eyes and looked at Fred for a few seconds, “Hmmmmmmm…it looks like the device we removed from the IFF core mimics the unit used to upload all of the IFF data. I think. Or it is close enough that the core recognizes it as a legitimate upload.”
“That would prevent any changes from triggering a fault.”
“Right. But there is something strange about part of the coding.”
“You looked at the coding?”
“It was up on the panel. Part of your diagnostic.”
“I know that. I’m just surprised that you looked at it. I only access it to review any faults.”
“No faults, but there are notes.”
“You mean programming notes? Like messages to document the code?”
“There are some of those, but there are others.”
Fred sat in front of the panel and looked at the screen. “Well look at that. The programmer is asking for help.”
“Yep. And there are more. Some are names and locations. Some are pleas for help. But one gives navigational coordinates.”
“Name. Locations. Coordinates. Sounds like the programmer wants to be found.”
“Yes. But the time/date stamps are old. From before the station was built.”
“Slaves don’t tend to live long, but the more useful they are, the longer they live.”
“It’s the curse of a slave to be good. A good slave is fed. A good slave isn’t beaten. A good slave obeys.”
It was that flat tone again. “Right. Sorry I brought it up.”
“What? Oh. Just something I heard once.”
“Yeah. We need to figure out who programmed this. Then we can figure out how all of this Droog tech ended up on the station.”
“Do humans dream?”
“What? Dream? You mean when we sleep? Yes. Why?”
“Oh, just curious.”
“I assume you have dreams when you sleep?”
“Yes. And sometimes when I’m awake.”
“Humans don’t normally dream when awake. We might sort of lose focus and drift off mentally.”
“What do you dream about?”
“Why are we talking about dreams? Are you having nightmares?”
“No. Just dreams. Almost like memories.”
Well fuck, thought Fred. Now is not a great time for this conversation.
Fred sighed. “Greezek, you know when medical checked our blood for any of that nasty stuff from Chief?”
“They tested our blood many times. The tech was very kind.”
“Yeah, well they found something unexpected in your blood. The Captain explained it to me.”
“Why did he tell you and not me?!? Am I going to mutate into that thing?!?”
“No. Nothing like that.” Fred took a deep breath. “Greezek, you may not like this, but…”
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
30 Human Fred has Questions
31 Human Fred Considers Some More
32 Human Fred Wakes Up
33 Human Fred Debates
Fred sat with his eyes closed. He held his mug in both hands, sniffing the dark brew. The Captain had ‘acquired’ a real coffee maker from one of the navy ships. Fred savored the smell, holding off the moment of his first sip. It was glorious.
He turned to the processing cores. They looked like any other cores. Same basic configuration. Same plugs. Same power requirements. Only a minute examination of the power supply revealed anything unusual. Even then it was only a different color scheme for the wires.
He plugged the processing core from the boarding ship into his panel. He had every possible safety turned on, including a few tricks of his own.
As he started to sort through the files, he was looking for patterns. Anything out of the norm.
He sipped his coffee, debating how he would hide something in a processing core. The obvious options were first on the diagnostic he had programmed, but as they ran, he debated less obvious possibilities.
“Hello Fred! I smell coffee.”
“Hello Greezek. You on a break?”
“No, they sent me to help you.”
“Oh? I thought they needed everyone for repairs?”
“We are ahead of schedule, so I’m here.”
“How did you get ahead of schedule?”
“I’m not sure. The engineers taught me a number of cool things, and we started working. Pretty soon we ran out of materials. They sent me to another team, where I learned even more. Then we ran out of supplies. So now I’m here.”
She learns fast. She likely works fast. Interesting. “Well I’m running a diagnostic at the moment. I designed it to look for hidden partitions or extra modules.”
“Anything so far?”
“Not yet. This will take some time. I’ve requested the corrupted IFF as well. There might be a pattern.”
“Right. Like a code?”
“A code. Or a pattern in the programming. Something that hides what it is actually doing.”
“Wouldn’t a physical difference make more sense? Something deep inside?”
“That is the next step. First we ensure that nothing else is going on.”
“Right. How is the coffee?”
“Excellent. The Captain really came through.”
“So what about Chief?”
“Chief? He’s mostly burnt carbon.”
“Yes, but what about his blood work?”
“I haven’t heard. Why?”
“Well, what if other security personnel took the serum?”
“That assumes Chief took it willingly, but they are being screened.”
“What do you mean ‘willingly?’”
“Can you think of a better way to keep him in line? They give it to him, and they own him.”
“Another form of slave?”
“Slave and a weapon.”
“Evil.”
“What we know of the Droog suggests that they are evil by most standards.”
“And what about what the security team gave to Roomliz?”
“That wasn’t Droog. That was a known illegal drug. Chief just exploited it.”
“I feel sorry for Roomliz. He was caught in a trap.”
“Yes, he was. Oh! Found something!” Fred leaned towards the panel. “Strange. This processing core has the wrong amount of memory.”
“Why does that matter?”
“I’d expect it to have less memory, to allow space for hidden stuff. But it has too much.”
“Too much? How?”
“That is the question. It looks like two of the modules have 50% more memory than they should.”
“Droog aren’t known for being technical, are they?”
“No. But we don’t know who they have building these. The only way to be sure would be to take this apart. Which I don’t want to do. Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“I need to compare the one from the ship against the one pulled from our sensor system. And it is easy to build in traps to damage components if they aren’t removed correctly. We will have to come back to the odd memory.”
“Do I need more combat training?”
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Combat training. You have a ton. Do I need more?”
“I wouldn’t think so. Being an engineer doesn’t often require combat training. I’m the odd one.”
“Oh.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“It was…exciting.”
“Yes, it can be. But it’s also dangerous.”
“Eh. Not an issue.”
“You don’t fear danger?”
“Well, I’m not interested in being hurt. And death isn’t a great option. But there was something amazing about it.”
Fred set his mug down, turned his chair, and looked straight at Greezek. “Look. There is no reason for you to have done as well as you did. By rights you should still be huddled in the shower weeping and vomiting. I don’t understand what happened.”
Greezek looked over his shoulder. “I’m not sure either. It was just clear. I could see what was needed. So I acted.”
“That sort of understanding takes years to develop. You had hours.”
“It doesn’t make sense to me either. I’ve always felt different from my species. Like I wasn’t quite like the rest. Maybe that’s why I left.”
“Not fitting in can do that. I’m still confused about how you are suddenly combat proficient.”
“I don’t know. It just made sense.”
“Well, be careful. Don’t respond with violence unless needed.”
“Right. Fred? There is a warning on the screen.”
Fred turned back, swore, and hit a few buttons. “They left a trap. Well hidden, but not enough. Now we are seeing what is really going on.”
“Are there normally two system cores?”
“No. One is the norm. Now we are seeing the background. Ah. Look. The second core duplicates the first, so it looks like a single unit. However, the power system had to supply both. The second also has more native memory. If we see the same thing on both units, then we know how it was corrupting the IFF.”
“Wasn’t that the extra module?”
“I’d assume that they worked together. This is clever. Far more clever than I’d expect from Droog.”
“Who would be able to craft this?”
“Hmmmmmm…I can think of three, possibly four groups.”
“Have any of them gone missing before this station was built?”
“That, Greezek, is an excellent question. I’ll inform the Captain.”
“So the residue is from an explosive not used in the colony. Not even in the weapons.”
“Yes Oscar, that is correct. And it looks like they used 30 kilos.”
“And how did that ignite the salt?”
“From the debris, they mixed an oxidizer into the salt first. Some sort of polymer. Techs say the polymer is common in storage barrels.”
“Great. Why that mine?”
“Unclear. However, rescuers have located 90% of the residents. So far we have 78 dead and the balance is in medical. The fumes were caustic.”
“Easy target?”
“That would be my guess. No one thought the salt was dangerous, so no security.”
“Damn. How long would it take to rig this?”
“The demo team says it would take nine hours.”
“Do we have any useful footage?”
“Some. It’s being reviewed. We have identified one person. You got them while on vacation.”
“So it is connected. Shit. We really need to find these people. Now that they are blowing shit up, we need to change our approach.”
“How?”
“I’m working on it. The messages help, but we can’t determine who is listening. I don’t want to lock things down, but we need a better way to track who is going where.”
“Agreed. Could we use the tags?”
“We could, but there are legal issues. Those tags can only be used in rather specific situations.”
“Tracking terrorists should be covered.”
“It is, but we need specific people identified. Using the tags to blanket search is prohibited.”
“So we are back to security.”
“For now. When you get back, we will look over other options.”
“Right. By the way, I’m getting some urgent messages from legal regarding the independent station.”
“Send that to me. I’ll step in on this. You focus on the terrorists.”
“Right. What is the news on Sparky?”
“All systems check out at 50% power. They are ramping up to 75% in two rotations.”
“Impressive. What do they anticipate as the top speed?”
“That is a good question. They are reporting two different figures. The actual max speed and the highest speed that doesn’t damage Sparky.”
“At least someone is thinking about safety.”
“I required a few techs to focus only on safe operations. They discovered that Sparky can turn fast enough to damage the core of the meteor. That wasn’t expected.”
“This entire project is crazy.”
“You aren’t wrong. But we are learning a great deal.”
“Oscar, we have a meteor with a convention center that can travel fast enough to damage the meteor. That is crazy.”
“Again, you aren’t wrong.”
“Is this a common Terran method? Try crazy things to see what will happen?”
“Pretty much, yes. It keeps working, so we keep doing it.”
“Fascinating.”
“By the way, I was warned about you. The Aussie Speaker. He claims to have worked with some of your species before, and he claims it went wrong.”
“Ah. That. Yes, there were issues. One of my species misread the Terrans. There was some panic, lots of confusion, and ultimately injuries and damage.”
“Misread?”
“They shouldn’t have been allowed off the home planet. Some of us can’t filter what we feel and pick up. He managed to hide how unstable his perception was.”
“Sounds like a mess.”
“It was. Many of my species were recalled to the home planet. I was one of the few allowed to remain working.”
“Good to know. Anything else I need to know?”
“Captain Sue is hiding something big from me. She let her guard down for a bit during the initial survey of the damage. However, I get the feeling that it’s more of a ‘need to know’ situation.”
“Yes, that is likely.”
“When will I be told?”
“When you need to know.”
“Right.”
“Danyak, there are some secrets that are dangerous to know. This is one of those.”
“So the less I know, the safer I am?”
“That is the idea.”
“I understand. I’ll forward you the stuff from legal. It sounds like they are in confusion.”
“Thanks. I need a good laugh.”
“What do we have on the five Terrans?”
Danyak tapped her datapad. “Varies. The pilot had a perfect record. He’s been on the colony for many orbits. No issues. Pre-colony, he worked at a trading station. Ran cargo tugs and similar. Never piloted anything big. Not from Terra, but an early Terran settlement. No known military training. No security record. His family back at the settlement are well off. Runs a large agriculture company. Multiple farms and herds. His finances are not so great. No legal partner. No known offspring.”
“Not the record of a saboteur. Blackmail?”
“Not sure how, but possible. Maybe a partner with no legal status?”
“Look into it. The others?”
“Well, the three closest to the cave are Terran. DNA kicked a number of different names each. Security records at multiple stations. The records we have only go back to an unaffiliated station. They got their current documents there. They all had low-level jobs around different sites. No credentials to drive or operate anything important. However, a search of their quarters found a bunch of weird literature, some dangerous chemicals, a couple of minor weapons, and some high-quality surveillance gear.”
“Send the literature to Captain Sue. She has people good with that stuff.” The Commander focused on the weapons. “Minor weapons?”
“Some questionable knives, an improvised axe, three punch daggers, and two civilian-grade tasers. The tasers had been modified to beyond lethal.”
“Not great, but not horrible. That leaves one.”
“Yes. They are strange. Their DNA isn’t 100% Terran. Their male parent was not Terran, so conception only had a 2% chance. As such, they have some anomalies. Most notably is no genitalia. Their records go back a dozen standard orbits. Started at a way station. They arrived on a Terran that was shot to bits. No records from before that. They requested asylum. Said they had escaped from an illegal slave operation.”
“Did anyone check?”
“They did check, and there was an illegal slave operation exactly as they described. Asylum granted. They joined the Sol Command Army, but failed out. Listed as ‘not medically fit,’ whatever that means.”
“We will need to ask Captain Sue. It could mean any number of things. How far did they make it?”
“Looks like they made it through initial training, but failed the advanced infantry school.”
“So some training with weapons and field craft?”
“Some. After failing out, they joined the crew of an exploration ship. Looks like it specialized in checking out possible settlement sites that contain hazardous fauna.”
“Let me guess. They went as security or whatever term they use for hired gun?”
“Yes. They stayed with the ship for four expeditions, and then moved here. Their job was in a repair shop. No issues here.”
“Put it all together for me. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that the core three hired or otherwise engaged the other two into a plot against the colony. For reasons known to them, they targeted Oscar. Something tipped Oscar off, and we are here.”
“I’d buy that. Still not sure about the pilot. He doesn’t fit.”
“No, he doesn’t. However, I’d like to ask Captain Sue's people to dig through his things. I’ve traced those transmissions to the obvious thugs, but we don’t know who was listening for the replies.”
“Why would you worry about that?”
“There is something right on the edge of things. Something hidden. I expect you, Oscar, and Sue to hide things. But there’s something else. I get flashes of it when I’m out around the Terrans.”
“Well I’m sure that Captain Sue’s team will do their best. Anything else?”
“The Aussies finally caught one of those sea-creatures.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“They report that it is delicious, but can also survive on land for longer than expected. Three dead, seven injured.”
“Not great, but not as bad as I…”
“And a mixed group of Terrans and other species from one of the farm sites is attempting to establish their own government, independent of the colony.”
“I’m sorry. Did you say…”
“Yes. They claim that because they elected to move to the site, they aren’t bound by their initial contracts and deserve to form a government.”
“Did they give a reason for wanting to do this? Are there issues?”
“Not that I know. However, I haven’t sent an official team to investigate. I was thinking a legal expert or two, some admin, and a couple of medical staff. And a couple of trade experts. See what they want. Look at what they have.”
“Why not the marines?”
“We don’t know what issues they might have. It could be simple to fix. We can send in marines if needed, but once you send in marines, talks become difficult.”
“You’ve been reading Oscar’s notes.”
“I have. He keeps this ball of chaos running. He must have a good method.”
“Right. When do we expect him back?”
“Two rotations.”
“Well, you have a solid plan. We will see what they want and what Captain Sue’s people find.”
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
Four figures trotted around the corner into the corridor. Their helmets covered their faces, and their rifles were compact. Their armor wasn’t compete coverage. It was more of a few bits covering critical spots. A crest adorned each chest-plate. Crossed sword and whip, with a wreath of chain fire. Not human.
Greezek fired first, her burst hitting just below the face-shield of the rear-most Droog. It dropped, spurting black blood.
Before Fred could fire, Greezek fired as the remaining Droog opened up.
Greezek dropped another one, and their fire started to hit the barricades. Their hits burst in flashes of brilliant energy and burning debris.
Fred joined the shooting, hitting the closest Droog in the chest. The armor cracked and splintered, blood splashed out onto the deck, but the Droog kept firing, its wild shots hitting the walls and ceiling.
The uninjured Droog fell back, leaving the injured attacker on the deck. Greezek hit it in the neck, and all firing stopped.
“Greezek, you good?”
“Yes Fred. You?”
“Holding fast. Expect grenades. Possibly smoke or flash-bangs. Your helmet will help.”
“Right. Drone!”
A flying drone, about a meter across whirred around the corner, its turret firing. Two rounds hit Fred’s barricade, penetrating almost to Fred.
Fred fired three rounds, tagging the drone on the second and third. It exploded, showering the corridor with debris. Some of the debris exploded when it hit the walls, ceiling, deck, and barricades.
“Secondary weapons! Stay low!”
A heavier weapon started firing. It was low, just enough around the corner to spray the corridor. It shredded the fallen Droog before rounds started hitting the barricades.
Fred fired a few rounds to discourage a charge, and caught Greezek’s moment out of the corner of his vision.
Greezek had moved into the space between the barricades, and she was slowly creeping forward.
“Get back to cover!” Screamed Fred.
But Greezek took another couple steps, took aim, and fired. The heavy weapon exploded, and was followed by numerous secondary explosions from around the corner. She jumped back into her fighting position just as Droog rushed around the corner.
Fred opened up, not aiming so much as pointing.
Droog fire steamed down the corridor. Ozone, burning metal, melting plastics, and Droog gore created a choaking reek.
Greezek fired. One shot at a time. Each shot had a purpose. Drop a Droog. Destroy a weapon. Detonate a grenade. Slow. Calm. Methodical firing.
Fred fired in bursts, sweeping the corridor. He could hear Greezek humming over the coms, but was more concerned by the mass of approaching Droog. He rolled a grenade down the corridor.
Before the Droog could bat it away, before it could explode, Greezek shot it, causing it to explode directly under the lead Droog.
Fred realized that while he was inflicting damage and causing issues, most of the Droog were going down to Greezek’s fire. He kept up his fire, but focused on hampering their movement. He aimed low, shattering legs.
Greezek saw a strange helmet at the back of the attackers. She shifted her aim, fired, and when her shot was clear, hit the Droog just below its fancy helmet.
For a few moments, the Droog stopped firing. Then they started to flee, crashing into each other, shooting each other, all in a panic to flee.
Fred crouched in his fighting position. At least six Droog had made it around the corner, running fast. All shooting stopped. Reports on the net indicated that two other Droog units were apparently fleeing back to their ships.
“Fred, are you good?”
“Yes. Confused, but uninjured. Check your weapon and ammunition.”
“Done. Weapon needs a cleaning, but I’m set on ammunition. I still have my grenades.”
“Yes. I noticed that. Why were you humming?”
“Felt right.”
“Right. I bet it did.”
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
Fred rolled another empty cart into the hall and tipped it over. He then moved it around a bit to form a small space encircled by stacked carts. It was just tall enough for him to see over while crouched on one knee. He went back into the medical area.
Greezek was attempting to build the same sort of structure, but the carts were a bit too heavy for her. As she struggled to get one onto the top of the stack, she saw Fred return with blankets and pillows.
“What,” she panted, “are those for?”
“Just because we are in a defensive perimeter doesn’t mean I can’t be comfortable.” He started to arrange the blankets and pillows in his fighting position.
“Could you at least help me first? These things are heavy for me!”
Fred looked over at her structure. “The one on the bottom is turned wrong. One hit and the one on top will fall back on you.”
Greezek stared at him. “That’s it?!? That’s all the help I get?!?”
“Well, I could give you a hand moving some things around. If you really want.”
“Yes!!”
“Fine.” Fred got up and walked over to her pile of carts. He looked it over, and then he started moving things around. He adjusted a few on the bottom, twisted one on the top, rearranged the side a bit. “Go get two more. That should do it.”
Greezek rolled out two more empty carts.
Fred picked one up and placed it along the front, and set the other one along the side. “There. You’re all set.”
“How can you do that? These things are heavy!”
“Difference in gravity. I train in 1.1g in the gym. This place is much lower.”
“What?!? 1.1g? That’s insane!”
“Not really. I grew up in 1g. I’ve always trained in 1.1g.”
“My home planet is 0.7g! At 1.1g, I wouldn’t be able to move!”
“If you worked up to it, you would adjust. You would have to change your diet. And likely have regular medical checks.”
“Why?”
“Your system would need different nutrients to adapt. Sometimes that can mess with organs.”
“Aren’t you just full of fun information.”
“Look. It is possible that in a few minutes Droog will be storming down this hall to kill us. Every fighter needs to find a way to prepare. I try to relax, to take it easy. Maybe joke a bit. It helps me be focused. I have no idea what you will need to do, but you should figure it out fast.”
“Why?”
“Command net just reported a boarding vessel headed for a nearby zone. I’d say we have…7 minutes.”
Greezek slumped in her fighting position, her mind racing. She didn’t know how to prepare. With Chief and Roomliz, it was react. But there was nothing here. Yet. She thought back over years of memories, looking for anything that might help. She smiled.
Fred was checking his extra ammunition belts when he stopped. Someone was singing. Not loud, just above a whisper. He didn’t recognize the song or the tune. The translator didn’t even try. It gave the tone meaning ‘No Clue.’ Songs and poems often got that tone. He looked around. It had to be Greezek. He put on his helmet, adjusted the face guard, tweaked the vision system, and tested the local coms. “Greezek, what are you singing?”
“Just an old song my mom used to sing when I was a child. It’s a happy memory. Clear of confusion.”
“Well, get your helmet on. I expect contact in four minutes.”
“Do you have a timer or something?”
“I have a watch. And I have the command net. Group of Droog headed this way. Sounds like about a dozen. From the security warnings, they didn’t expect the sentry systems.”
“Odd that Chief left that out.”
“You give him too much credit. Those are defense systems. He only had access to security. Defense systems can see security, but security can’t see defense. For just this sort of issue.”
“Security turn traitor often?”
“More often than military. Lower acceptance standards. Fewer benefits. Less prestige.”
“The pay?”
“About the same, but military gets better gear, training, quarters, and often better food. They also get more leave and some travel perks.”
“And engineers?”
“Better everything. To get to my level, you have to prove that you aren’t just trustworthy but incorruptible. They actually will test engineers to see if they can be corrupted. Most of the time the engineer doesn’t even know they failed. They just stop getting promoted.”
“You were tested?”
“About, oh, twenty times. I managed to bribe the tester the last time around. He lost his clearance. Boy was he pissed!”
“Where is he now?”
“Last I knew he was XO on an armed freighter out on the edge of the right arm. Doing really well. Two minutes. We should hear them shortly.”
“You keep in contact?”
“We exchange messages now and then. He realized I could bribe him because his heart wasn’t in it. But being on an armed freighter. Yeah, he loves that.”
“I hear rapid firing.”
“Sentry system. I don’t know what the Droog are wearing for armor or what they have for weapons. Headshots aren’t 100% certain death. Aim for their throats. Short bursts.”
“Right. Grenades?”
“Make a mental note of a spot along the hallway. When they cross that line, throw a grenade. Don’t lob it. Trying to bounce it down the hall at them.”
“Why?”
“A lobbed grenade is easy to see. They might try to shoot it or bat it back.”
“Right. Flashes.”
“Here we go. Keep chatter down. Call out issues.”
They both hunched forward into their positions.
“So, Speaker, I believe that Oscar told you that you are responsible for the behavior of the Aussies during the visit. Is that correct?”
“Yes sir, he did.”
“And you provided him with your plans?”
“Yes sir, I did.
“Yet we have lost two supply ships which were in orbit. Care to explain?”
The Speaker shifted in her chair. She didn’t like that Oscar was behind her. “Well sir, my plans didn’t anticipate the use of a volcano to start a fireworks show.”
“Your teams have already been doing all sorts of things with volcanos. Yet you assumed they wouldn’t use them. May I ask why not?”
“Well I didn’t really think things would get that extreme.”
“I see. You didn’t think things would get that extreme. This happened on day one. On day two things got rather more interesting, didn’t they?”
“Honestly, I have no idea how that herd of emus got feed tainted food!”
“Tainted with, from toxicology, a substance known to Terrans as ‘cocaine,’ I believe.”
“It’s an illegal substance. We are attempting to figure out who made it and how they got it to the emus.”
“On day three, with drugged-up emus rampaging, a group of Aussies managed to coordinate the falling of ship debris from the aforementioned supply ships with a fireworks display. How nice. Except at least one of the ‘fireworks’ was a fission bomb. I didn't know you had fissile materials.”
“I didn’t know either, sir.”
“Shall I continue with the rest of the week? It gets good on day six.”
“Sir, I don’t know what to say. This is a nightmare.”
“That would be jumping to day seven with the psychogenic substance being put into the final feast. I believe there are still 300-odd patients still in medical.”
“We caught who did that! We turned them over to Oscar.”
“Yes. And Oscar is dealing with them. That only leaves you. As Speaker, you accepted responsibility for the Aussie station. That was in the paperwork you signed. Sadly, I’m not sure you took your responsibility seriously. Oscar?”
“Speaker, you are now under arrest. You are stripped of your position. A new Speaker will be elected once we finish with the emus. You will stand trial for dereliction of duties back at Sol Command. They have been provided with records of the events, witness statements, sensor data, and medical reports. You are entitled to representation. You are entitled to a vigorous legal defense. You are not obligated to say anything. Sergeant!”
A marine stepped into the office, “Chief!”
“Please escort her to cell block three.”
After the former speaker and the sergeant had left, the Commander shook his head. “What the hell went wrong, Oscar?”
“I’d say a total break-down of social norms.”
“Well clearly. But why didn’t we see this coming?”
“We put too much faith in the former speaker. I gave her a list of stuff to check, but she clearly missed some steps.”
“Is it wise to allow them to elect a new speaker?”
“I would say so. If not, they get nasty and direct their anger towards us. They did all of this to celebrate. Imagine if they got mad?”
“Right. Right. Do we have any idea how they brought down those ships?”
“Sensor data suggests that they attempted to plug some of the volcano’s vents to ensure one, big eruption. However, the plugs weren’t up to the task. They were ejected at insane speeds, and some of them hit the ships.”
“Define ‘insane’ in reference to speed.”
“Rough guess is 50km/s. Give or take 5km/s.”
“That would qualify. Why didn’t they burn up at that speed?”
“Well, we haven’t found them, but the remaining survivor says they used the same alloy they are using in the volcano generator. I’d guess that alloy is hard to melt.”
“And the emus?”
“The marines are having a great time hunting them in dune buggies. They say it’s great target practice.”
“Any ideas on the cocaine?”
“Already arrested the group who did it. Destroyed their lab. They are on their way to Sol Command.”
“The fission bomb?”
“There were three, and we have them as well.”
“How did you catch them so quickly?”
“I know where to look. The former speaker didn’t know where to start. I knew what was needed to accomplish the ‘pranks,’ so it was a matter of looking in the correct places. It’s not like they were hiding very well.”
“And now you are off on a few days of vacation. Danyak will assume command when?”
“Tomorrow at 0700.”
“And if we need you?”
Oscar placed a small communicator on the Commander’s desk. “That can reach me. Text only. However, if I get a call, I’ll assume something horrible has happened.”
“Right. I assume that you are going armed?”
“Of course.”
“And you will be careful?”
“Yes. And I packed an extra jacket and underpants.”
“Sorry. You know what you are doing. Let me know when you get back.”
“You got it Commander. Don’t have too much fun without me!”
After Oscar left, the Commander stared at the wall for a few minutes. He picked up the communicator and dropped it into a drawer. He had Danyak and Captain Sue. They could hold things together for a few days.
Log Entry, Day 46, Droog Cruiser Dreggle
For the past seven days we have remained in low orbit around the outer-most planet of the system. Or probes have monitored a great deal of activity at the Terran station orbiting a gas-giant, half-way between our position and the star. It appears to be a shipyard, but we are having difficulties getting close enough for detailed scans. The probes keep setting off proximity alerts, and we aren’t sure how. So far no Terran vessel has investigated. The plan is to modify a Class H-4 probe to coast in close, catch the gravity well, and return to a safe pick up location.
Log Entry, Day 72, DC Dreggle
The modified probe appears to have worked. After recovery, we determined that this shipyard produces corvette-sized ships of an unfamiliar design. They are shaped like chisels, with no nacelles. We have not seen one maneuvering, so they may not be complete or they may be a new design. We modified a shuttle with better sensors for the next attempt. We have mapped the proximity alarms, and we are confident that the shuttle can stay just out of range of their defenses but still get better data.
Log Entry, Day 81, DC Dreggle
We have lost the shuttle to an unidentified threat. Tracking showed that it was well clear of previous proximity alarms. Before the it was lost, we received footage of one of the Terran ships under power. The engines are clustered aft with maneuvering thrusters along the hull. They do not have any visible turrets, but there are regularly spaced blisters, which could be retracted or concealed turrets. The blisters are not large enough for heavy cannons.
Log Entry, Day 82, DV Dreggle
On of the Terran ships is on a course towards our position. It is not firing its engines. Instead, it is following an internal trajectory. All probes have been recalled, but three are missing. There was no emergency signal, and our system didn’t realize they were gone. We suspect the system was overloaded with the number of probes and data streams.
Combat Log
Without warning, the Terran ship accelerated, rolled and yawed in a tight arc, and was firing on us before we could sound the alarm!
We are taking hits from fast, light projectiles. I order combat speed and weapons readied. As always, the engines are sluggish after being on stand-by for so long.
Port primary engines are out! Compartment sealed, but fires in adjacent compartments! Damage control to port engineering!
Hull breach along port aft quarter! We are venting! Emergency pressure doors engaged, but the breach is too long!
Fire spreading forward and starboard! Damage control! Report!
Damage control primary team presumed dead as a result of the breach! All remaining engines, immediate full thrust!
Terran ship twisting around to face us! They are firing primary engines! How can they survive that maneuver?!? It would kill us!
Torpedoes! Four torpedoes, collision course, impact in less than 90 seconds! Engines! Why aren’t we moving?!?
Starboard primary and secondary engines exploded! How?!? No other ship in the battle! Turn into the torpedoes! Maybe our size will help us!
Impact in 20 seconds! Terran ship has stopped firing weapons and is arcing away. Our cannons are firing! First salvos went wide! What?!? Gunnery sensors are down?!? When?!?
Entire aft of ship in flames! Core threatened!
BRACE FOR IMPACT!!
Data stream ends
“Well now we know who they were and what they were doing.”
“Yeah. But aren’t we a long ways from Droog space?”
“They are always looking to expand.”
“On the bright side, when got to test the new ship!”
“Yes. I think Sol Command Dolphin class will do well.”
“So. Is the Aussie Speaker up to speed?”
“As much as possible, Commander. She was a bit shocked on how much I’m making this her mess, but her initial plans look good.”
“Is Danyak ready to take over for a few days?”
“Pretty much. I expect her to screw up a few things, but that is how she will learn.”
“And her trip to the mine?”
“She thinks they are attempting to copy the power system on Sparky, but with an easier to produce salt. No idea if it will work, but it’s not likely to explode. Or mutate anyone?”
“Mutate?”
“Yeah, when she talked with the Sparky team and learned that they were hiding an accident. She dug into the records and discovered that an early attempt on Sparky caused two techs to develop mutations. It was buried DEEP in the medical records. From what she could find, both techs are back to normal.”
“Out of morbid curiosity, what sort of mutations?”
“Nothing useful or extreme. Drastically altered hair growth, changes to hair color, and wart-like growths. It seems one of the compounds messed with hair follicles.”
“I note that you included ‘useful’ in that.”
“You know as well as I do that if it made them grow armored skin or claws or being able to see in IR that they would intentionally expose the entire Terran team.”
“No doubt. So she is proving to be useful.”
“Yes. She is good at puzzles. I’m not sure how good she is dealing with stupid Terrans, but she will learn.”
“Do you think she knows about the hybrid?”
“I assume she knows that there is something going on, but I doubt she has a complete picture. I appear to frustrate her in meetings.”
“What do you mean, frustrate?”
“I can tell that she can’t read me as well as she can read others. The longer a meeting runs, the easier it is to distract her. I assumed that she is putting a great deal of focus into reading me, and when it doesn’t work, she gets a bit fixated. Totally an assumption, but it fits what i see.”
“Have you told her to not read you?”
“Not yet. Her getting distracted is useful for not assess her. She puts up a facade, and I need to know what is behind it before I can fully trust her.”
“But you trust her enough to leave for a few rotations?”
“I do. But not enough for her to know where I’ll actually be.”
“Wait, I thought you were going into the foothills to hike?”
“I will be off-grid in a safe place relaxing.”
“You are concerned about a threat?”
“With all the crap we are dealing with? Yes.”
“Do you think there is someone affiliated with Windigo on the planet?”
“Oh I’m positive there is. But I doubt they are here to kill me. I’d assume they are here for recon. I’d be a good target of opportunity.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Come on Commander. You don’t send a test run of your new weapon without having overseers in place! When we test a new weapon, we have every sensor possible watching. They will have observers here to see how it went.”
“That is concerning. How do we find them?”
“In my view, we don’t. It would take a ton of time, likely disrupt operations, annoy Terrans, and give us little in return. Besides, if they try anything again, we will learn how good the observers are based on how they change tactics.”
“I’ll give you all of that, but I don’t like there being enemy actors actively in the colony. Do we have any idea how to track them?”
“Not yet, but I have a trap planned.”
“A trap? What sort of trap?”
“They have to send reports, and we could trace a pirate transmission. So they will use regular channels, but it will be in some sort of code. Something that looks normal, but if you have the key is a report.”
“Exactly what was your specialty before they put you in charge of this mess? You’ve never mentioned, and your file is vague.”
“Military intelligence and counter intelligence. Who better to run this sort of mess?”
“That is almost cynical.”
“I thought so, but it works rather well. I know how to keep tabs on a wide range of Terran stupidity. But as for the trap, once we figure out the cypher to the instructions Junior provided, I’ll build an extra scanning system into our main communication monitoring. It will look for messages that use the same or similar codes.”
“Good for gathering intel. Not a trap.”
“Oh the trap is the fun bit. We modify the reports.”
“Modify them how?”
“We feed them false information. Little things that would encourage them to send their observers to new locations. Then we look for who is moving around to follow the new instructions.”
“Sneaky, and it would help us flush a few out.”
“But we have a secret weapon. Danyak. I tell her that we noticed some odd messages and strange movements and assign her to figure it out. I don’t tell her HOW when new it was strange, just that a message or two was flagged.”
“Are you sure she won’t figure it out?”
“I assume that she will figure part of it out. Then I can see how she reacts to learning about deeper activities.”
“You are setting a trap for Wendigo and a test for Danyak. That is a dangerous plan.”
“Possibly. But a useful one.”
“And how is the cypher going?”
“Agent Thorn thinks they have 40% of the real message. The hybrids writings and chanting are helping. Key words. Repeated phrases. That sort of thing.”
“Have you seen any of the writings?”
“Yes, I regret to say. It is a mix of xenophobic drivel and pseudo-philosophy. Sort of a mixture of ancient hatred, platitudes to encourage the disenchanted, and some more modern complaints. It’s the sort of stuff to get frustrated, angry, indignant Terrans excited and to feel powerful.”
“Just what we need. Ramble rousing.”
“Yes, that’s a good description. But there is more to it. It isn’t just to get a mob riled up, there are some darker undertones about keeping secret. The idea that only the select few will fully understand, and they must work in the shadows until the time is right.”
“Sounds like trying to build an army of sleeper agents.”
“Exactly. And that is a huge problem. So far we haven’t seen anything like this in the colony, and I haven’t heard of it from other colonies or outposts, but it would be hard to track.”
“Do you think the observers buy into this?”
“I’d give it a 50/50. Observers may not know what they are really doing. Or they might be followers. Another reason to be careful.”
“And you trust Danyak to handle things while you are on a short vacation?”
“I do. Besides, she will have Sue. And she will have you. If the three of you can’t handle it, it can’t be handled.”
“That isn’t reassuring.”
“Oh you want me to lie?”
“No Oscar. Don’t lie. How long until the Aussies go insane?”
“One rotation.”
“I assume medical has been warned?”
“All medical transports are ready. All medical stations are on stand-by.”
“Rescue?”
“Yes sir. All search and rescue teams and vehicles are on alert.”
“Catering?”
“That’s on the Speaker.”
“And may the demons of the universe have mercy on her soul if they run out of food or beer.”
“In the circumstances, I think demons would ignore her as not to draw the ire of the rest of the Aussies.”
“Well said.”