“Try it again,” Senior Chief Grudzinski said.
The petty officer nodded, then reached out and turned the switch.
To Rev’s relief, the big PX-40 printer came to life.
“Thank the Mother,” Norton whispered.
The PX-40 was the most advanced, most capable printer they had. With a web of two meters, it could manufacture almost anything that they might need in the way of repair parts, tools, or furniture. It could even print the turbofans for the Charon, if necessary.
The Po were still growing buildings for personnel housing in what used to be the yeti town, but the PX-40 was so important to the humans that they grew a separate housing for it and provided a power source that would keep it running.
It had taken two shuttle trips to bring it down on the surface, and for the last three days, the Materials Division had been trying to reassemble and get it running. It still had to be tested and recalibrated, but seeing the huge printer come to life gave Rev hope. It was a vital milestone.
Life was settling into a routine. Without housing, the children and most of the ship’s crew were still on the ship. They came down every Sunday to enjoy the surface and spend time. By now, the children were used to the forest and swimming hole, and it was a chore to get them loaded back on the shuttle for the ride back up without a boatload of tears and meltdowns.
But the octagon had been repaired, and water was flowing. And at the rate the Po were growing buildings, Rev thought that in another month, they could be brought down for good.
On the Zfthu side, they seemed to be settling into the new routine. They sent over boats three times per week. It was mostly one-way “trade,” with the Po providing them with the basic foodstuffs, but to add a little sugar to them, Punch had designed an improved agricultural scythe, which the fabrication team started to put out, and that was added to what was given to the Zfthu. Anything to show them that they were better off with peace rather than war.
What surprised Rev the most was that the vast majority of the people seemed not only to accept their new condition but to embrace it. They seemed a happier bunch than they’d been for a long time.
There was still grumbling, of course. Forty-three people had not voted for this outcome. But when given the facts, they’d seemingly acknowledged their fate with varying degrees of acceptance.
Comms were still down with Titan or any human government. Many of the people wanted to keep it that way. There was concern that with them essentially checking out of what was going on back there, once the war was over, the powers that be might track them down to reassert their authority.
But for now, especially with the PX-40 humming along, things looked pretty good.
“Glad to get over that hurdle,” Hyung told Rev.
“You and me both. We don’t have to ask the dragons for every little thing.”
“You ready for our meeting?”
Rev inwardly groaned, but he smiled and said, “Sure.”
He was happy to see Hyung take the bulk of the leadership roles in making the move from the Galaxy Explorer to Haven. The man seemed to have the knack for it. But one thing he insisted on was a daily meeting of what he called his “department heads.” Rev was technically an equal to him, not a department head. And he could see how the daily meetings improved efficiency and eliminated some problems before they even surfaced. But that didn’t mean he liked them.
“Well, then, we might as well head on over,” Hyung said with a smile.
I think this guy actually likes them. Masochist, Rev told himself as he dutifully trooped after the man.
* * *
“That means we’ll have an operational clinic here by next week. Doc Rima will transfer down for good, while HM2 Guerrero will remain on the ship until we break the rest of sickbay down and bring it here,” Norton said.
Normally, a clinic might have been one of the first things to be brought down, but with the Po’s ability to treat injuries, that had fallen back in priority. With a good third of the people with what was seemingly hay fever, but that Doc Rima assured them was merely a physical irritation, though, the decision was made to push the priority back up.
“And that’s all for me,” Norton concluded.
Rev started to stand. Norton concluded each of the meetings with the next couple of days’ schedule for the shuttles and landing craft.
“I have one more thing I’ve saved for last,” Hyung said, and Rev slowly sank back into his seat.
“Yesterday, while doing an inventory of what the gennies left behind, we discovered that they’d gifted us something. I’m not sure how we missed it, but I think you’ll agree that this is significant.”
He paused and looked around the makeshift conference table one of his fabrication crew had cobbled together.
Just get on with it and tell us so we can go.
“You all know about the cultivator they left, right?”
There were a few nods. The cultivator was an incubator of genetic material. Doc Rima had already gotten dibs on it. Theoretically, she could use it for In Vitro Fertilization if she could figure out how the machine was operated. And with so few people now, if they wanted a viable population, they might have to make use of it.
“Well, somehow, we didn’t notice the rest of the gift. Not only do we have the cultivator, but we also have an entire gene bank. They left it there and even attached a note saying ‘Thank you.’”
That got Rev’s attention.
“Yes,” Hyung said, obviously enjoying the reaction of everyone. “DNA for hundreds, if not thousands, of Earth plants and animals. Once we master their technology and figure out how to operate the cultivator, we should be able to germinate and bring to life food crops and animals.”
Creating living creatures from stored genetic material was no easy feat, even in the laboratories back home. Cloning corn or strains of beef and chicken for vat beef was one thing. Actually creating viable, healthy life was difficult, though, and took a precise process in a lab, much less on a Navy ship.
But the potential . . . that was huge. There were a dozen food plants and another dozen ornamental plants growing in the ship’s garden, and land was already being prepared to attempt to grow them on the planet. But this really upped the possibilities. Rev had a sudden vision of farms growing what they needed to survive, ranches with cattle and hogs. They’d be guarantees for the inevitable future when the fabricators failed beyond repair.
“I’m keeping Dr. Belang on board to catalog what’s there. And as soon as we have the appropriate facility prepared, we’ll be transferring the bank and the cultivator down here so we can start unraveling the process. As you can guess, we’re very excited about this find.”
You’re not the only one.
And then he realized the significance of the “thank you” note. This was a tit-for-tat. Rev, Tomiko and others had donated their DNA so that the Genesians could be viable. They’d just returned the favor.
We sure came out ahead on that deal.
The meeting broke up, and a very upbeat sergeant major made his way out of the room before a decidedly not-upbeat Omega agent stopped him.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Wolf asked.
Oh, don’t down my high, Wolf.
But Rev said, “Sure. What do you got?”
“Maybe somewhere a little more private?”
This bad? What are you doing to me?
“My CP?” he asked.
“That should do.”
The two men made their way out to the courtyard, then climbed into the battlement.
Rev really just wanted the man to go away, but he asked, “Now, what do you want?”
“It’s about the ship. After it’s emptied.”
“We’re sending it away. You know that.”
The decision of what they’d do with the ship had been hotly contested. Some people wanted to leave it in orbit, an emergency escape valve. But many more people didn’t want to leave a trace of the ship. They feared one faction or the other coming out on top during the war and wanting to track them down. Most feared what a winning MDS might do to them, but the karnans feared a Union-alliance victory. How would they treat the expedition?
No one thought it would be very well.
Another school of thought was to dive the ship into this system’s sun. Leave no trace. If humanity came looking for them, the trail would go cold.
The logic of that one escaped Rev. If they got this far, they’d notice the civilizations on Haven, and even a cursory scan would reveal the human settlement. Destroying the ship here would do no good. They had to lead anyone tracking them away from the planet. Titan knew where they were now, so it had to look like they left and went farther into the galactic wilderness.
The final course of action was to send the ship away but leave it as a derelict ship somewhere in the hopes that if needed, they could recover it. Neither shuttle nor landing craft had bubble space capability. But the Shrike did. Rev wouldn’t trust the fighter for too many jumps, but it didn’t have to follow the Galaxy Explorer’s path. Clyburn could make the single jump to the ship and hope it was there. He also wasn’t sure that Clyburn could somehow bring the ship back to them, but Norton assured the rest that he could preset the return so that all Clyburn had to do would be to trigger it, and the ship’s AI would handle the rest for the single jump back.
In the end, while Rev thought most people wanted to destroy it, Norton’s strong push ruled the day. Rev didn’t particularly like it, but he wasn’t going to fight the CO on that.
“Yes, I know. But Titan and New Mars know that we’re here in this system. And even if the ship moves on as planned, there is a preset destination on the ship to bring her back. Do you think they’ll have much of a problem figuring out where we are?”
“No. Like you said, they already know we’re here.”
“What would you say if I told you there might be a way to, shall I say, change what they think they know?”
Rev just stared at Wolf, trying to read into the man’s eyes. He sort of trusted the agent, but not entirely. Not by any stretch of the imagination. What if he was trying to pull something now after lying low for the entire expedition. The man was Omega. Who knew what kind of long-term plan he might have had?
“If there was this kind of ability, do you really think we’re in danger from them?” he asked, purposely not specifying who he thought “them” was.
“We’ve fallen out of their control. Not only fallen, but we’re actively running from it. What do you think?”
“I’m asking you.”
They had a little stare-down, but it was Wolf who broke. “Knowing what I do, I think it would be a bad situation no matter who comes out on top in the war.”
Rev tried to see a flicker of dishonesty in the man’s eyes. He knew Wolf was an agent, so he must know how to lie, but Rev found himself believing him.
“Having them not know exactly where we are could be a good thing,” Rev conceded. “But you said there might be a way to do that.”
“I have a tool where I can hide our tracks from within the ship. I can make the AI believe that, for example, we were struck by a virulent plague that pushed us to leave the ship in the shuttles to land on a nearby planet.”
“That . . . could be very interesting, Wolf. But where does the ‘might’ come in.”
“An attached worm can be sent back along the comms, programmed to seek out the ship’s location information and comms pertaining to that. A few minuscule changes, and we were never here. We were always over there.”
What Wolf was describing would go a long way in allaying some of Rev’s concerns.
“You still haven’t described the ‘might.’”
Wolf pursed his lips, then said, “Other agencies know of our capabilities. This worm is tiny and barely noticeable. But if anyone suspects something in this category, it will be blocked. It won’t make it through.”
Wolf could be lying through his teeth, but it made sense. Just because he was Omega Division didn’t mean they were infallible. He and Punch had proven that.
“Whether it gets through or not, I think the plan is sound. So, why are you coming to me? Why don’t you just set it in motion?”
“I waited too long. The interface I need has already been packed and brought to the surface.”
“So, you want me to get it back up to the ship?”
“That won’t work. I’d have to go with it, set it up, and recalibrate it.”
“So, tell Norton and do it.”
“I did tell Norton. He won’t allow me anywhere near the ship anymore. He’s sure I’m trying to sabotage it.”
I’m not positive you aren’t.
“If he won’t let you, then what am I supposed to do?”
“I need Punch.”
“What?”
“Your battle buddy. There may be a chance that he can help.”
You don’t need me. You need me to convince Punch.
“Have you talked to him?” Rev asked.
“I started to, but he won’t talk to me unless I go through you.”
Rev was surprisingly touched by that. Punch was very independent now, but if he needed Rev’s OK to discuss this wild plan with Wolf, then he wasn’t as independent as he seemed.
There were a million things that could blow up with Wolf’s plan, and that was even if he was on the up-and-up. Then there was the fact that if he agreed, he’d be going against Norton’s decision.
But Rev felt that Wolf was trying to do the right thing here. And it wouldn’t hurt to have this presented to Punch to get his take on it.
He raised his wrist and spoke into the comm. “Punch, can you meet me in my CP?”
“On my way. Give me ten minutes.”
“Thank you,” Wolf said.
“Nothing’s decided yet.”
They stood in silence while waiting for Punch before Rev asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Wolf let out a wry chuckle and then said, “What does the evil Omega man really want except to keep all citizens in bondage, do you mean?”
“You said it, not me.”
“Yeah, we’ve done some pretty bad things, but I’d like to think that they’ve been mostly for a good cause. And yes, I’m a spy. I was put on this expedition as a spy. With all you baby-killer Marines and pie-in-the-sky science geeks, who could trust you to provide the Union with anything you found while keeping it from everyone else?”
“Including Titan?”
“Especially Titan. Look, with the way things have gone down, maybe it’s time to do what’s right instead of following orders.”
“That’s not the Marine Corps way. Nor the Omega way, I’m guessing.”
“You did what’s right on Mother Earth. You didn’t kill the Centaur triad, despite your orders. You and a karnan, of all people. And because of that, we’ve still got Earth.”
Rev scoffed.
“Oh, so you don’t think the evil Omega man can do what’s right?”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Yes, you did. And that’s OK. But I am trying to do what’s right here.” He took a breath. “Look. We’re in trouble. Sure, everyone’s smiling now. We’re all happy. But we’re vulnerable. There’s not enough of us to guarantee survival. And that’s without our brother humans coming after us. Without the yetis, the BGs, the Sia. It’s a dangerous galaxy, Sergeant Major, and we need all the advantages we can grab.”
There wasn’t anything Rev could say to that. What Wolf was saying was the truth. Rev just had to hope that he was equally as truthful as to the why of what he was proposing.
Punch took that moment to arrive at the CP. He looked from Rev to Wolf and back to Rev again.
“Agent Wolf has something to ask you.”
“Go ahead,” Punch said.
“Were you equipped with an SRP-1426?” Wolf asked.
Punch slowly turned to face Rev, as if waiting for his input.
We’re already in this deep.
Despite their situation with the far-off Union, Norton could bring him up on espionage charges—not that Rev thought his Marines would let that fly.
Rev didn’t know what an SRP-1426 was. It couldn’t be hardware because Punch was essentially a series of interlocking crystals. But as long as Punch knew, then he could respond.
“Go ahead, Punch.”
“Yes, I have that capability.”
“Oh, thank the Mother,” Wolf said.
“That doesn’t mean anything yet,” Rev cautioned. “Punch hasn’t agreed to anything.”
“I know that. So, let me explain what I’d like him to do.”
Wolf started into a far more technical and detailed explanation that left Rev behind. After five minutes, his wristcomp buzzed with Tye, who needed his assistance with one of the Navy chiefs. Rev eagerly said he’d come over. He told the two he’d be back, then left them in the middle of a discussion that might as well have been in Zfthu for all Rev could understand.
Rev listened to the pissing contest, slapped the chief’s wrist, and headed back to the battlement. It looked like the two were finished by the time he rejoined them.
“What Agent Wolf has described makes sense, and from what I’ve been able to examine—”
“Wait, you let him download something into you?”
“That was the only way I could determine what both the program and the worm would do,” Punch said as if this were an everyday occurrence.
Geeze, Punch!
“Both will work as he described. That doesn’t mean that Agent Wolf isn’t lying as to what he plans to do with it.”
Rev glanced at Wolf, but the man didn’t seem to have taken offense. Punch had so many strengths and capabilities, but understanding social interaction wasn’t one of them.
“So, what is your opinion?” he asked Punch.
“We’ve come up with a plan, and I think it is worth pursuing.”
“You already have a plan?”
“We actually went with the example I used earlier. The ship’s last stop is in a system with a volcanic planet with a lot of tectonic activity. The AI will believe that we were under attack by a plague and sought refuge on the planet. With the activity on the surface, it is possible that any trace of us, or of the shuttles, would disappear.”
“So, you think it’s believable that we just leave the ship like that?”
“That’s all we have. Unless you can come up with something better?”
“No, I don’t have anything.”
“With his SRP-1426, Punch will be able to invade the ship’s neuro system. And he already knows how to inject the package. But we need you now.”
“I figured that. I’ve got to come up with a reason to send Punch back up to the ship so he can do the deed.”
Wolf nodded.
“Are you ready now?” Rev asked Punch.
“I’m ready.”
“OK. Give me about an hour. The next shuttle will head back up at 1330. I’ll have you on it.”
Wolf held out his hand, and Rev took it. He was committed now.
I just hope I’m not making the biggest mistake of my life.
* * *
Eight hours later, the shuttle landed. Rev waited breathlessly as the ramp lowered. A familiar figure was the first one to stride down it.
Punch made his way toward the human spaces, but as he passed Rev, he said, “The deed is done.”
For better or worse, the die had been cast.