The short woman curses as the shots go wide. She looks over to her horrified companion, “Get me that book over by your shoulder. I have to check out the missiles payload options.”
Tirallo can do little but what Alexis asks. The shuttle has its station keeping jets burst to keep motionless a few kilometers from the RX-38.
Alexis growls a bit as Tirallo is telling her from the book how to use the missiles. The knowledge she is being told clicks inside her head as correct. The effort is delayed from Tirallo trying to understand what she is reading from the book. As they are getting the lockon there is a chime of incoming message.
Tirallo loses her page as she automatically goes to answer it. “This is RX-38 number 4,671 the Classless Society. Who is this?”
A small holotank comes up between the two females in the shuttle. The top part is blurring erratically. Inside is a balding haggard looking man in an orange space suit with the helmet off. He has a beard that is surprising in its length. There is a communication lag that is noticeable.
The audio squeals before the system automatically corrects it. The voice wavers then comes over loud and clear snapping attention, “Why in the eleven hells did you attack my men?”
Alexis looks over to Tirallo surprised at being barked at. Tirallo then activates the communication gear to center on Alexis. The military clothed woman hits the communication button, “You invaded us.”
The man seem taken back seeing Alexis in the uniform and mutters, “Oh shit one of them.” Before the females can respond to that he continues. “We thought that was a derelict vessel.” He points accusingly toward them. “We came to check it. You never answered any hails we gave for a month and when my crew came to check out the vessel your crazies attacked them.”
“You invaded and took over our computer system. Try it on this shuttle and I will unload all the missiles on the RX-39 you are on. Now return control of the RX-38 to us you Fascist scum.”
The image of the old man gets a jitter that Tirallo corrects by the controls. The lag makes the insult hang in the air for a while. The reply almost spits out, “Ok, just tell your machines to stop trying to kill my men. There are laws against having such things now.”
The quick capitulation catches her off guard. Alexis wracks her brain, “Return the air to my vessel. Since you have connection to our computer patch in a joint message so both sides will stop at the same time.”
The Captain looks off from the camera. His image freezes, he must have stopped the message while he gives commands. The image resumes jumping back at the relay, “It is setup.”
“Then turn back on the air and give your people the command Capitalist. We have a truce for now.”
The man orders commands and Alexis gives her own to stand down, for now. Tension follows as both look at each other testing each other’s will while waiting. Finally there is a confirmation that the fighting has stopped and the boarding parties are leaving the ship.
A communications tech on the other ship communicates to Tirallo showing how the RX-38 is returning to livable while Alexis and the Captain spar over words. The talking is cut short when the woman talking to Tirallo exclaims, “By the twelfth hell. You got advanced Freezer Brain.”
That stops the other conversation with both looking over. Tirallo looks confused, “Did you just insult us?”
The man shakes his head causing the display trouble with the image. “No your crewmember right there is suffering from the disease Freezer Brain.”
Alexis turns to Tirallo who looks confused at them both. Her arm is to her nose stopping some blood that was dripping from it. She turns to the other Captain, “What is it?”
“She is suffering from prolonged freezing that causes cell damage in the brain. If it is not treated automatic system such as heart and repertory can shut down killing her.”
His explanation solves the cause of the deaths they have had onboard. She takes a second to put it together looks to him, “How long…” Tirallo is starting to panic.
He cuts her off, “She most likely will have a day, maybe two at best.”
Tirallo is getting in to panic mode real well. Alexis herself isn’t to far from it and continues the conversation switching the controls so it is only her in visual. “You will only help if you are paid Capitalist?” The woman thinks for a split second and cuts the man off, “We have a large amount of supplies on board. We can split them and it should make you a profit you seek. Once back to Earth our government will easily restock us.”
The Captain gapes like a fish with a flush. His voice has a touch of anger to it in his reply, “Well if you want to talk like that yes I will agree to it. But your great government is a failure and has no space assets anymore.” Alexis is about to deny it after the shock of what he said but the man keeps talking. “A Civil War happened and the ‘united’ people revolted tearing it to shreds. Only thing left is an impoverished backward country that is a pariah. And it’s no longer Earth but Gaia, a living planet.”
Alexis goes back to the oldest form of denial. “You’re lying!”
The Captain shakes his head smiling, “No, I am not. I will have a history tape brought over along with the medicine once my shuttles return. My crew will leave the medicine and it in an airlock. Once we get back to Earth you can turn over the supplies.”
Tirallo seems total wreck with the revelation.
Alexis is ignoring the communications technician and nods to the pickup, “Yes in a hundred years when we get back.” She keeps the weapons live targeting with the active sensors so they know what she could do.
Time slowly crawls with the Capitalists' shuttles leaving the boarded vessel. Alexis calls the ship. It takes a minute before anyone on the bridge responses. A female Alexis remembers from the bridge earlier responds.
Alexis snaps a question before she can say much. “Are you back in control?”
The link shifts over to Melrin looks haggard in the Captain’s chair. “Yes we are back in control. Currently we are working on repairs and getting the crew back…”
Alexis interrupts him. “Get CIN number… 5564.6548.7544.6687 unfrozen. I want him on the computer resetting the codes as soon as he is cognitive.
The man looks surprised, “A CIN?” His surprise is change to outrage. “You would use one of them on out systems instead of a…”
Alexis feels she has no time to argue with the man. “Do as I order now. We need it so our system is secure they cannot take control of it again. The SIN are good at working under normal activity but these Fascists have a hundred years advanced gear on us and intimate knowledge of our systems. I know he has the best chance of anyone on the ship.”
Melrin grits his teeth, “Is that an order?”
“I told you to do it so do it, or I will get someone to replace you.”
“Your order is logged and will be done.”
The short woman cuts the connection and leans back. Anger fights with the nerve-wrecking waiting. The sobbing woman beside her is not helping.
The sensors show the shuttles return to the Conformity. Hours later one comes back across the gulf of space. Alexis never makes an effort on docking. The red marks on her screen show the lock on the enemy, one touch and missiles would fly out though space to extinguish life and wreck machinery. Inside the shuttle the smell reeks of fear from Tirallo who thankfully cried herself to sleep.
A message comes in from Classless Society.
Alexis has a sheen of sweat as she answers it. Her eyes going right back to the track after activating the communication unit “Yes.”
Melrin is there and points off in a direction on the pickup, “Do you see what is coming to us?”
“Yes I am watching them.”
The man’s forehead shows veins and turns a shade of red. “You are watching them? Why not stop them!”
His tone causes the woman to snap, “That will be enough. I know what is going on and you do not so do not even try to understand what is above your head.” She cuts the connection with a rapid stab of the button.
Alexis feels a bit better then realizes one issue she forgot and hits the communication gear for military only. “This is Alexis to all Warborgs. Report in.”
“This is Unit Four. All other units are inoperable due to enemy action.”
“We have an enemy shuttle to dock and drop off supplies. No one is to interfere or hinder them.”
“What is the nature of the supplies?”
“Medical. I do not know the exact nature but they are needed to stop the rash of deaths on board.” She silently adds she hopes to that. “You also will contact me once CIN 5564.6548.7544.6687 reports the computers secure. I will keep outside with the shuttles weapons active.”
“This unit understands and concurs with such actions. The use of a CIN is against standard regulations.”
“He will do his job. Tell me once he says the computer is secure and I will dock.”
“As you command Ally.”
To keep busy while waiting Alexis gets up and a meal. The weapon system is left active without anyone at the controls. While in the back of the shuttle she decides to check something.
Taking out her firearm she again checks it. It again fails to fire.
Taking apart the diskshooter provides no reason for the failure to the woman. It all looks right and when tested it powers up and works like it should.
The reason she finds is when she opens up the small magazine of disks. The toxin meant to incapacitate others that the disks are soaked in has over the centuries dehydrated, hardened into a sap and finally a solid amber block. The deadly pieces of metal are held there like insects frozen in time.
A pair of heavy work gloves protects her fingers as she slowly breaks off each round to manually reload into the magazine. The gloves are heavily damaged from the razor sharpness of disks by the time she is done. The weapon might not have the dangerous toxins to knock a person out with but a scratch but it will still cut through flesh.
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The shuttle’s air vents have the air fresh but the smell of sweat from both of them is strong. Alexis is fidgety from the paranoia. Tirallo is checking every ten minutes about the status before the Warborg finally calls the shuttle nearly a day later.
The Warborg’s monotone voice, “This is Unit 4 to the shuttle.”
Tirallo is quick to hit the button having been worried waiting. “This is the shuttle are the drugs good?”
The machine, “SIN 8051.5945.2549.6584 put on MIN 0501.4117.4117.1336.”
Alexis switches the relay to her consol, “This is Ally.”
“The ship computer is secure. The medical staff reports the drugs brought on board by the enemy are to advanced for them to know what it does. They are nanite machines from what they can tell. This unit must warn against using it as they could contaminate those used.”
“We need the crew alive to make it back to Earth. We can rotate out those given it with others unfrozen. You will keep out of sight but be ready in case those given it try something.“ She looks over to Tirallo, “Put me in touch with the Engineering Department.”
Tirallo does as told bringing up another screen. There is an older looking man but his eyes still twinkle of youth.
“This is Deavun, ahhh, what should I call you?”
Alexis smiles, “Ally will do for now Deavun. I want you to manually disconnect the external communications relays other then just one. I want to limit what can be sent from outside to us.”
“Altering the ship is not recommended by regulation…”
“Its what we need to do Deavun just in case they try to do something else.” She cuts the connection with the man.
The machine is back to full screen. “The SIN is correct. Altering the vessel to the level you order is…”
Alexis snaps at the machine, something she never would have done before. “That is an order. They took it over before they could do it again. Even with Groerge’s best efforts we are still vulnerable.”
The lack of emotion in the machine’s voice does not help her feel better but gives her a chill. “As you command.”
Alexis is getting the shuttle ready to dock when Tirallo reports.
“We got a hail from the Conformity.”
A nod has the image of the Captain of that ship once more in her holotank. It is hard to tell but he looks as stressed as she feels. The man does not even try for pleasantries. “You got the drugs and we are well away from you so stop your targeting of us.”
Alexis has to stop the docking she was slowly doing. She had forgotten about the targeting completely herself in the effort of docking knowing what happens if it goes wrong from her arm. “I was shortly going to do so. My trust is low and you will be compensated for it. How did you Capitalist Fascists take the Conformity?”
“You have it all wrong. You have been out here…” He looks down and then back up whistling. “Three hundred plus years, wow, a new record for finding living souls. Well over two hundred years ago your country broke apart from within and many parts rejoined with the rest of humanity. The space platforms were the first.”
Alexis shakes her head, “But our society was…”
The Captain’s normal calm breaks finally, “Your country was a bankrupt Socialist police state. You are so proud of that uniform you wear. It should be red from the amount of blood shred on it by your own people.”
“What are you…” The realization of what was to happen came to her like a slug in the stomach. She knew when the ships return who would find out about it first, the Orbital Stations. The first ships might be ignored but once more came it would be known and they started the collapse of the government. The men and woman working on the ships finding them almost empty of crew, ship after ship, like what was to happen to this one if they had their way.
The man had continued then she tried to break him off. He lists a litany of crimes that happened long ago after they left Earth.
Alexis holds her hand up and the man stops. The woman blinks back tears unwilling to give him that satisfaction. “Those happened long after we left. It was pure when we were there. It was not a utopia but it was ours.”
The man looks off to the side, “It is like teaching a school kid.” He turns back to her. “Read up on the disks we sent over and you will learn how pure your utopia was.”
Tirallo looks to her after turning off the communications gear. “What is he going on about? Did we really lose our…”
Alexis shakes her head, “I don’t know. I really don’t, and wish we didn’t have to find out.” A tear drops from her knowing the man was truthful, knowing what was to happen to the people on this ship had something not happened.
The finalization of the docking is done shortly after the communication. Alexis and Tirallo go from the shuttle cycling through the airlock to the RX-38. The inner doors open to chaos. There is a crowd of people with the Warborg unmoving in the back by the wall.
One of the men in front is barely able to keep from pushed in, “Why did you let them come back on board? You fled fast enough to the shuttle.” Others join in on his complaint.
Alexis scowls at them and draws her diskshooter. The stress of the shuttle flight and the talk with the Capitalist does not help her mood. “You will back off from me crewman.”
The sight of the small lethal weapon pulls back more of them but they are not totally cowed. The man in the front keeps at it, “Why didn’t you stop them or at least warn us they were coming back?”
Alexis felt that one. She didn’t warn them and didn’t even think too. “Unit 4 was on station watching them. We need to get what they left.”
“Oh you want some Elitist drugs to feel good?”
Alexis snaps, “No those are drugs to prevent us from dieing.”
Tirallo rushes past pushing Alexis and the man in her haste. She is in tears, “Let me pass.” This causes the group to spread out with most watching Tirallo.
Alexis uses the break, “You all had better follow her. I know I am.” She follows after lifting her metal arm as a shield. A jarring impact causes her to grimace, but the guy she hit with it yelps in pain. The rest of them move out of the way before getting hit by her as she goes by.
Tirallo is cut short on her dash to the boxes of medical supplies by the Warborg’s presence. While the woman was in a rush the seeing it’s gristly presence is still enough to stop her before she can get the medicine.
Alexis comes up behind Tirallo. The sight of a missing arm on the machine causes her pause. “Unit 4 it is time to pass out the drugs.”
The machine moves out of the way. The communication technician just can’t stop herself and quickly goes to the code bar marked plastic boxes.
Alexis takes a step forward watching Tirallo worried before turning to the machine. “What happened to your arm?”
The machine responds calmly, “This unit suffered damage during the boarding action. This unit feels there is still a danger of contamination from these.”
“If it saves lives it is a risk I am willing to do. Our citizens are that important to me.”
Tirallo grunts forcing open a container, she shakes a hand having broken nail. She did not read the instructions in getting the box open but just forced it. The woman pauses looking in the container at what is in it.
The box has rows of neatly packed white plastic wrapped capsules around 4 inches long. On each one are pictures showing how to setup and inject the drug in to the neck.
Alexis watches as Tirallo takes one out and follows the picture. The top of the capsule gets popped off and rolls on the deck. The woman is shaking as she puts it to her neck. The drugs hiss in to her body.
Tirallo collapses down but recovers after gasping.
Alexis takes the few steps to touch Tirallo’s shoulder. The woman looks up sheepishly embarrassed at her own selfish actions.
Tirallo whispers, “Sorry.”
Alexis sighs, she speaks out loud for the others. “We suffer from long term freezing from what we learned. The deaths before were caused by it. All personal should take a dose.”
No one steps forward, Alexis herself leans down and takes one. The top plastic is easily removed with a thumb. She watches the crewmen whose gaze is almost accusing as she hits the nub activating it. The drug gives a burning sensation when it goes in to her body. After that it does not seem to do anything.
Alexis turns to walk away but then she gasps as her lungs require air. The woman staggers moving her flesh hand to feel her heart racing. She staggers to a wall not expecting it.
The group watches alarmed. Two of them come forward only to stop when the Warborg moves to put itself between them. It takes her a minute for it to ease. Her heart slows down and the funneling roar in her ears dies down. She once more can breathe without issue and then looks to them, “Well, if you want to be safe take one.”
Alexis walks over and checks Tirallo who nods saying she is ok. One of the crew goes to get a dose while most keep back.
While the man is in a rush of the shot Alexis gets the primary school history disk. Its cartoon imagery on the cover hides what horrors it surely will tell her of the Fascist’s version of history.
Alexis looks around, “We will need to prioritize repairs to the ship. We can’t unfreeze many more till we know the life support condition. Those who were heading sections still will be. Others lost will be replaced. I need to know the condition of the ship as soon as possible in case the Elitist try something new.”
There is a murmur from the crowd.
Alexis gives them all a look over. “You can decide not to take it if you feel it will contaminate you. If you die though it is your own fault.” She then gives an order to the Warborg. “Find out if each wants one and store the spares in the shuttle.
Turning to leave she can hear the silence broken by one pair of boots moving to the crate. Alexis does not stay to see who it is but goes to her cabin.
Alexis once in the cabin starts shucking off her clothes. Once the clothes are off she wrinkles her nose at her stench. “Ugh I reek.”
The woman goes to the refresher and lavishly abuses the water rations the cabin has to clean up. She is almost done when the communication unit chimes an incoming message.
Hitting the emergency communication unit right in the refresher on voice only. She is better spirits at least, “What is it now?”
“This is Unit 4 Ally. At your earliest this unit needs your assistance.”
Alexis signs, “Is there a trouble with the drugs?”
“Negative. This unit is compromised in combat ability till the limb is replaced.”
“You need repairs? I can have a crewman over there shortly.”
“Negative. Only military personal can repair or command this unit.”
“You can’t be serious. I don’t know the first thing on repairing you.”
“The shuttle is equipped to help you. There is diagnostics that will tell you what to do and the parts are present. It is you or this unit remains compromised in its combat ability.”
Another sigh escapes her lips. “I will be there in a few minutes. The drugs secure?”
“Yes Ally inside the shuttle. I await your presence.”
Alexis gets out and looks down at the clothes she shed. She kicks the dirty ones to a corner and gets out a fresh set. She mutters, “Later will have to do laundry too. It never stops.“
Alexis is in pretty good shape with all she has been doing and makes it down to the shuttle. The few crew she passes give her a wide berth, not that she minds. She has to put in her code to enter the shuttle. The Warborg is waiting and its stench gags the woman.
“I think I should have had you take another refreshing.”
The monotone voice comments, “It would do no good. Currently this Unit’s organic parts are suffering infection.”
Alexis stops not knowing right off what she is to do and has to iterate it. “I am not a medic. I don’t know how to heal… it.”
“It is not needed. Antibiotic spray will solve the infection. It is the loss of the limb needs to be corrected for this unit to be effective as a combatant.”
“Ok Unit 4. I understand but how do I do it?”
“This unit will go on to the rack. Then you will have to active the readout and follow what it says to repair this unit.”
Alexis thinks it over. “Ok get in your rig and I will start.”
The machine moves in to a frame rig that had not been used before. The remaining arm stretches out in to it and even the legs are spread as much as they can go. The body locks up as the AI canister slides out of the back and moves to the storage rack. The remains of the organic elements of the Warborg are disgusting to her but she has gotten use to it enough to get close. Readout display slides out and begins to operate.
The rank smell is present but the woman’s mind is busy looking at what to do.
Alexis begins following instructions unable to understand much of what it is saying, but she is trying to figure it out as she goes. The first part is simple when she has to plug in cables to ports that will feed information between the two machines but the next part takes her by surprise.
The combat knife is a sharp deadly weapon and gets stains quickly as she has to cut away diseased flesh from the injured area. The bestial features shift as she does so and at least twice she backed away in fear. Her stomach is empty having heaved it out as she started but still tries to add to the mess she making. The clean uniform and her shower are a thing of the past by the time she puts on the quick heal application to the flesh. The removal of the flesh and fur shows Alexis the extent of the mechanical damage the Warborg suffered.
Alexis wipes her brow leaving a bloody streak. Her own metal arm is throbbing at the joint and she has had a headache forming from since she took the drugs from the Capitalists. She gets in to the medical pack and finds some tablets that are listed for pain. Eating them she feels much more at ease with no pain quickly, and even a bit giddy. It has also reinvigorated her allowing her to keep going.
The work on the metal is easier then the flesh was. The readout lists what to replace and how to do so. Understanding what the parts are barely within her knowledge but not enough that she could say she is doing it right. The body of the Warborg really is very simple in limb replacements. Removing the remains of the limb and then the grunt work of lifting and connecting the new one leaves her exhausted. The readout lists the Warborg’s body as once more fully functional.
Alexis is exhausted from the effort and filthier then she was before her earlier shower. She leaves Unit 4 shutdown as she goes back to her room for a long wasteful use of the refresher to clean up and then to the bed.