Darrell Bain Page 15

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The military contingent who ran the ship stood regular watches. The marines spent their time with virtual training, equipment maintenance and the study of basic astronomy and xenobiology as taught by Jeri when she had time to spare. The civilians on board were mostly scientists like me and we had no set hours. I suppose as Chief Science Officer I could have established a routine, but you don't treat creative persons that way, not and expect to see their best efforts. Besides, I'm no martinet. I decided right from the start to leave them to their own devices. If they needed me they should know where to find my office. If not, they weren't bright enough to be on the ship in the first place. As for myself, I was ready to get to work.

  I had several surprises that first morning in space.

  I met Gordon, our sole Crispy, on the way to my office. It shouldn't have been a surprise but it was. At the enclave he had been pretty well secluded. I doubted that some people had even known he was there. Evidently he was going to be allowed to roam freely on the ship despite still looking like something that had crawled out from under a bed on a stormy night. Almost seven feet tall with a pyramidal head that scraped the overhead deck and no neck. Four two-jointed arms terminating in six limber fingers and a sleek olive green pelt. I wondered briefly if he was considered handsome on his homeworld, or if that was even something they thought about.

  "Good morning, Gordon,” I said amiably, meeting the gaze of his orange bifurcated eyes. I wondered idly if that was a designed shape or one given Crispies by evolution. Probably designed, I thought. Evolution doesn't necessarily produce the best solution; only workable ones.

  "Hello, Mai. Are we both going to the same destination?"

  "If you're going to my office, we are."

  "I am. I would like to begin the first steps of my conversion as soon as possible."

  "Well, come along, but we may not get started quite as soon as you like. I have to get oriented first. I only learned yesterday that I've been appointed Chief Science Officer."

  "Should I then return to my stateroom?"

  I stopped in the passageway for a moment to think. Other people passed us by with most trying hard not to stare at Gordon.

  "You may as well come to my office,” I told him. “We should at least have time to map out a plan for you. First thing, though, is to see if Chief Meadows knows how to make good coffee."

  "She does make coffee but I am no judge of its worth since I don't consume it yet."

  "You've met her already?"

  "Oh yes. She's very nice."

  Hmm. Nothing like being the last to know anything.

  * * * *

  "Good morning, Ma'am. You have someone waiting in your office."

  "Thanks, Chief. You and Gordon have met, I'm told. Is the coffee ready?"

  "Coming right up,” she said with a smile.

  I walked on into my office. Gene Smith, the man who had recruited me, was sitting in my chair with his feet propped up on my desk drinking a cup of coffee. He set it down and grinned cheerfully at me. He wasn't the least bit discomfited at being caught like that.

  "Hello, Mai. Fancy meeting you here."

  "The recruiting business must be slowing down.” I tried to avoid showing how surprised I was at him being aboard the ship. “What are you doing here?"

  "I thought we hadn't been seeing enough of each other so I decided to come along on this little jaunt."

  I didn't know quite how to take that. All I said was, “Mind if I have my chair back?"

  "Why not? It's yours.” He stood up. “Hi, Gordon. I was going to stop by your stateroom but I heard you were on the way here and took a shortcut."

  Gordon said nothing, obviously waiting for me to make the next move. And they had obviously already met. I sighed. The man was irrepressible, but a genius at getting things done. He'd probably be an asset to the crew.

  "Don't mind him, Gordon,” I said. “Smith probably isn't even his real name. However, if past experience is a guide he can be helpful when you need something or there's a bottleneck in your way."

  "Just one of my many talents.” Gene came from behind my desk and began searching the bulkheads with his eyes. He moved to one of them and flipped a chair down.

  "How about one for Gordon?” I sat down at my desk.

  "They're a little small for him, aren't they?"

  "Yes,” Gordon said. “I'll stand. Or do you have business with me?"

  Chief Meadows came in with two more cups of coffee.

  "Thanks,” I said. I sipped gratefully at my own but Gordon set his politely aside. Jeri and Sira had both developed a liking for it but only after becoming human. After Dianne had retreated back to her little alcove, I added, “What are you after, Gene?"

  "I wanted to talk to Gordon, but it can wait until you're finished with him for the day. Actually, I came by to invite you to have a drink with me after duty hours."

  Jesus Christ! First Juan and now Gene, the last man I'd have thought about going out with, insofar as you could go much of anywhere aboard the ship. But eligible men were liable to be scarce and Juan was sort of slow getting off the mark, supposing he had any intentions to begin with. I tilted my head and peered at him. Hell, why not? He wasn't bad. In fact, he might be fun.

  "All right. I'll call you when I'm finished for the day."

  "Good deal. Thanks.” He emptied his cup. “Catch you later, Gordon.” He smiled cheerfully and was gone, flipping a two fingered salute on the way out.

  "Humans are a curious species,” Gordon said, not for the first time.

  "You don't know the half of it. Listen, are you sure you're comfortable standing? We might be spending a lot of time together here in the future. Before you've fully assumed human shape, I mean."

  "I can stand it for a long while,” he said with a chuckle. He knew how to make a pun already. “If not, I'll just ask Gene to supply me with something along my line."

  I could see he was trying to develop a sense of humor. Good. I liked cheerful men. I hoped it would carry over when he converted.

  "Miss Trung, a gentleman to see you."

  What in hell was this? A tandem shipboard convention? And Dianne had used Miss instead of Ms., just the way I liked to be addressed. She must have boned up on me already.

  "Send him in,” I said. “Sorry, Gordon. I'm beginning to think this might not be the best place for us to work together."

  As if to reinforce that statement my monitor flashed twice in large red font. HEADS UP! HIGH BRASS! And my next big surprise of the day walked in.

  "Hello, Mai,” General Shelton said as he entered with a cup of coffee in hand. He waved casually to Gordon as if he had been expecting the Crispy to be in my office. Knowing the general, he probably had.

  "Uh ... what are you doing here ... sir?” I said stupidly.

  "Same thing as Gene. Going for a joy ride.” He smiled and took the seat Gene had vacated.

  "But ... but ... what's SFREC going to do without you?"

  "Oh crap, Mai, Carol has been running the place since two weeks after she arrived. I probably won't even be missed. Anyway, our friend here told the powers that be he wanted me along so here I am. It was sure as hell a tight squeeze, though. I damn near missed the boat before President Morrison gave in, but Gordon can be awfully persuasive when he sets his mind to it."

  I glanced over at the Crispy. Their faces are hard to read since so much conversation among them utilizes their perceptiveness. They don't usually have much of a sense of humor either, not in the Crispy form. Humor has a lot to do with emotion which in turn depends to an extent upon hormonal influences, which are modified by environment and cultural effects and other genes coding for related proteins and a zillion other factors.

  "I did indeed insist on having General Shelton along, Mai. He has been dealing with us almost from the start. This is not to belittle your own expertise but I've also found his understanding of us to be very astute. Jeri also recommended him highly, as she did you indirec
tly."

  "If you say so. How about Gene? How did he manage to hitch a ride?"

  Shelton shrugged disparagingly. “Gene finagled his way on board somehow but I haven't a clue how he did it. He's been here for several weeks."

  "Did Esmeralda come with you?” That was his wife. I'd met her several times. She was a gem.

  "No, she thinks it best to let me ply my trade by myself. We got used to being separated early on in my career but it's been a while now. Probably be good for us. Absence makes the heart and all that malarkey."

  "Are you going to replace Captain Becker?"

  "Oh, no! I'm just along for the ride so far as the ship goes. I'll be more of a diplomat than anything else, supposing we find Cresperia or other aliens we want to deal with. That's my primary assignment. Otherwise I'm on call for anyone who thinks an old mud-pounding spook might have something to offer them. I'm probably going to be bored stiff."

  "Um.” I couldn't imagine a man like him being bored. Only dumbasses think idleness is fun. And three stars are rather intimidating even to civilians. I suspected he'd have more influence on the ship than he was letting on. “Well, what can I do for you this morning, sir? Anything special?"

  "No, I just wanted to stop by and say hello and let you know I'm on board."

  That was a diplomatic way of telling me to contact him if Gordon had any problems with his conversion to human. However, something wasn't computing. I thought there must be more to it than that.

  "I don't suppose you being here has anything to do with...” I saw the warning look in his eyes. My voice trailed off like it was being muted with a rheostat but it was already too late.

  General Shelton stood. He glanced in Gordon's direction then back at me. “You may as well go ahead and say it."

  "Problems with India or China? Or both?"

  He sat back down.

  "Just keep it quiet. And Gordon, that goes for you as well. Don't repeat this to anyone. Understand?"

  I nodded. “Yes, sir. Understood.” Gordon gave him the Crispy equivalent of assent, a small bow.

  "I saw you'd guessed. Yes, we've confirmed that both China and India have Crispies working for them. I don't know how advanced their research is, but we figure if they don't have FTL already, it won't be long. We don't know about the IC but they don't have scientists of our caliber, so they probably aren't nearly as advanced as the rest of us."

  "Did you ask for permission to share my research with them in case any of them should contact the Crispy home planet before we do?"

  "Politicians!” He practically spat the word. “Yes, damn it, and the stupid asses were still dithering over whether to do it or not when I left SFREC."

  "Seems like a no-brainer to me. If by chance anyone else finds Cresperia before we do and they don't have the results of my research to guide them it could turn into a disaster."

  "I agree,” Gordon said. “If one of us has converted to male but doesn't understand what's gone wrong, as in the cases of Ishmael or Lau, and then tell the whole planet how wonderful it is to become a human, it could completely disrupt our society. Why will your leaders not share Mai's research? What possible reason could they have for not doing so? There's certainly no military value to be gained by concealing it, is there?"

  General Shelton was slow in answering. By the time he did I already knew what he was going to say.

  "Gordon, some aspects of our species are not very admirable. In this case I believe a few of the politicians who are advisors to the president are underhanded immoral bastards. They probably think letting the Crispies go crazy in the countries that are competing for power and influence with us would be a good idea. They're thinking the psychotic Crispies will damage those countries somehow. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what a stupid idea that is, having unstable Crispies with perceptive powers at large."

  "If what I've learned of Ishmael and Lau are any indication, they are terribly wrong. Ishmael was trying to convince us that we should attempt to subvert and control the leaders of the United States. It's even possible he could have eventually succeeded had you not intervened. We had little to guide our actions other than the internet, and it is not a very reliable source, even if you are as familiar with it as humans are."

  "The Crispies who convert to male too quickly and without adequate mentoring don't actually go crazy in the classical sense,” I said. “They simply become very self-centered, selfish and hungry for power. Those attributes are tied into the sex drive as well, which really complicates matters. That's what my research is telling me. And with their perceptive sense they can wield influence beyond simple numbers. Having power and authority also sets up a positive feedback condition even in humans. In Crispies who have converted to human it's magnified by a large factor, or so I believe. There's a lot of truth in the old adage, ‘Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.’”

  I told Gordon how Ishmael had tried to seduce me. And how he had succeeded with other women back at the enclave by aborting their short-term memory, as well as how I had been able to resist him only by knowing of that talent and suspecting him of using it on me.

  "It was tantamount to rape, Gordon. That's an extremely serious crime."

  "I know. I can't describe in English what my people would think of such a horrible misuse of the perceptive ability. Suffice to say I'm unable to comprehend how it could be possible for one of us, although obviously it is when in human form."

  "What's done is done,” General Shelton said. “I just hope our leaders come to their senses and release Mai's research to the nations with Crispies. I wouldn't bet a lot of money on it, though."

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  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  After considering a number of factors, Gordon and I decided his conversion would work best if most of it was done in his own stateroom. He had a special chair and bed there designed to his specifications as well as one for human proportions. We decided to get started the next morning. That would give me a chance to review all my data one more time. Once I got into it, I discovered another change in my body. My memory had always been good, but now it was exceptional. Not eidetic, but not far from it. And I found I could read and assimilate data much quicker than before, although nothing near Crispy speed.

  Sira had obviously made those changes in my body while she did the physical revamping that gave me an indefinite life span and a powerful body that wasn't prone to illness. Since very few people knew about it, I made a mental note to ask General Shelton to warn me if he saw any personality changes as a result of the enhancement. For instance, beginning to believe I was superior to other people simply because I now had a body that worked at its highest potential. It wasn't a one-to-one comparison but I sure as hell didn't want to go the way of Ishmael or Lau!

  * * * *

  I spotted Gene waiting for me in the officer's lounge, and for once he looked a little serious. I started toward the dispenser but he waggled his hand and held up a glass, indicating he'd already gotten something for me. I changed directions and headed toward him.

  "Hi, Mai. Drag up a chair."

  I sat down and tried to slide my seat forward. It wouldn't move, of course. Even though we had artificial gravity every object of any size was bolted in place.

  He snickered.

  "Very funny. If that's not whisky you have there, I'm leaving."

  "You were one of my favorite research subjects. I wouldn't forget that."

  "Oh? Who were the others."

  "Have you met John Smackers?"

  "Unfortunately, yes."

  "Ouch!” He pretended to wipe blood from his face.

  "There must have been a reason for recruiting him, but it sure couldn't have been his pleasing personality."

  "Right, but he's a blithering genius. He's forgotten more about quantum physics than most specialists in the field will ever learn."

  "That's still no excuse for being an asshole."

  "Juvenile delinquent might be more like it, exce
pt he's in his twenties. When he was confirmed as Captain, El Jefe wanted the best quantum physicist in America so I found him."

  "Don't let Captain Becker catch you calling him El Jefe or you're liable to get tossed out the nearest airlock. He didn't strike me as a man who'll put up with much nonsense."

  "Point taken. Maybe he'll take a hand and rein in our young genius. So, when do you and Gordon begin his conversion to human?"

  "Tomorrow, first thing."

  "Um. I suppose that'll keep you pretty busy?"

  "Most likely. I've read over Jeri's notes a number of times and I believe she and Kyle accidentally hit on the optimal method of converting from Crispy to human."

  "How so?"

  "Mmm. Language immersion is a good analogy. Are you familiar with the concept?"

  "Uh-huh. It's how I learned to speak Español. Total immersion in the language and culture. Six weeks of that and I was rattling it off like I was born in South America."

  "Right. That's how we'll do it with Gordon. I'll be with him practically all the time and my assistant will have to run the science section, not that there's much to do until we hit a planet. Too bad we won't have the internet. Crispies don't sleep and it would help for him to have access to all the good and bad both, while I'm with him to help guide him and keep his learning objective."

  "We do have the internet.” Gene grinned lazily and waited for my reply, certain it would be more than a mundane reaction.

  "What?! How? Are you kidding me, Gene Smith!?"

  "That's been my main job once I was able to turn the recruiting over to others."

  "But ... but...” Damn the man! He had me sputtering like a baby blowing spit.

  "Don't have a fit right here in front of everyone, Cherry. It's bad for your image. And we don't exactly have the net but it comes close. Once the ship was half built it was loaded with stacks of petabyte hard drives that were stuffed to the gills with billions of pages of the internet. It doesn't include everything by any means but we've had a veritable legion of programmers and operators downloading as much of the net as we could grab to the drives. We even collected a good random sampling of the porn sites and the weirdoes and asswipes and every other website belonging to nut cases you can think of."