Star Alliance (17 page)

“But this is different. With Nershals we bond for a time and can have as many partners as we choose. When you bond, is the pairing meant for life?” Etanu said.

Zack swallowed. “Sometimes,” he said.

“The Boxans have similar practices. So, if you would bond for life, who would you choose?” Etanu asked.

Zack’s mouth opened, but no words would come out. He shook his head. “I have no idea. What would you do if you were me?” he asked.

“I would know which I had stronger feelings for and who I was most compatible with. How does your arm feel?” Etanu asked.

Zack frowned and glanced at his arm. It was red and still bleeding in a couple of spots. “The itchiness is gone.”

Etanu nodded. “Good. If it comes back, think about your companions. It will help shield you against the itch.”

“How’d you know that would work?” Zack asked.

“At some point a new soldier runs the risk of giving into irrational behavior. It’s standard practice to reorient their attention to clear their mind,” Etanu said.

“Do you know how I can get this thing out of me without tripping the detonator?” Zack asked.

“It is unknown to me,” Etanu said.

“Athena, is this something you can help with?” Zack asked, speaking into his PDA.

“I can monitor the device. One moment,” the AI said.
 

Zack glanced at his forearm while he waited.

“Confirmed. There is a signal coming from the tracker. If the prime directive of the device is to report on your position and there are fail-safes in it that account for unsanctioned removal, then removal isn’t recommended,” the AI said.

“You’re right. That would be the safest course of action, but if we’re going to escape from here, I need to get this tracker out of me,” Zack said. “Safely,” he added.

Etanu narrowed his gaze. “Do you have a portable AI contained in that device?”

“Yes, it’s part of our ship,” Zack said.

“But your ship isn’t anywhere near here,” Etanu said.

“The PDA links with my implants, so it’s a portable version,” Zack said.

“And you rely on it for advice?” Etanu asked.

“Well, yes, it’s helped us in the past. I copied it from the Boxan station and it adapted to our ship’s systems,” Zack said, and wondered why Etanu looked so alarmed.

“You cannot trust an AI. You should power off that device immediately,” Etanu said.

“I can’t power it off. That AI is our best chance at getting out of here,” Zack said.

“AIs can become corrupt and highly irrational. You would be wise to expunge such an entity from your ship,” Etanu said.

“I don’t understand what the problem is,” Zack said.

“We’ve used artificial intelligence constructs in the past and have since stopped using them because they become unreliable. Besides, if the Xiiginns learn of its existence, they’ll use it against us,” Etanu said.

Zack sucked in his bottom lip. “Maybe this one is different. This AI was part of the Boxan monitoring station in our star system. It maintained that facility for over sixty years without an incident. I don’t think it could do that if it were unreliable.”

Etanu frowned but still had that alarmed expression. “That’s something at least, but how would you know if the Xiiginns corrupted that AI to work for them?”

“I understand your concern,” the AI said, “but I am not completely autonomous. There are restrictions within my core programming that prevent unauthorized access.”

Zack arched a brow.

“There, you see,” Etanu said. “If the Xiiginns bypassed your AI’s defenses, it could be disastrous.”

Zack’s stomach clenched. Athena knew about Earth, but how much of that data actually resided on his PDA?

“Athena,” Zack said, “for the time being, I want to be notified of any outside contact prior to your giving a response.”

“Understood,” the AI said. “Would you prefer an audible notification or an alert on your internal HUD?”

“The HUD will be fine,” Zack said.

As Etanu led them onward, Zack wondered at the vehemence of the Nershal’s alarm about using the AI. He glanced up through the canopy of trees, trying to catch a glimpse of the wall, and it seemed they were far enough away that he should be able to ask a couple of questions without Etanu getting too upset about making noise.

“What happened that made you so mistrustful of artificial intelligence?” Zack asked.

“When they work as expected, there are great advantages to using them, but they also make you vulnerable. We still use them, but not without heavy restrictions. The AI you have would be considered unshackled. Extremely dangerous,” Etanu said.

“What do you mean by unshackled? This AI does have limitations,” Zack said.

“Your AI has the ability to access a multitude of systems, and in doing so you’ve allowed all those systems to become vulnerable. Think about all the ship’s systems that could be affected, like life support or the main engines,” Etanu said.

“So your solution was to just stop using them altogether?” Zack asked.

Etanu glared at him.

“What good did that do?” Zack pressed.

“Better that than the alternative,” Etanu said.

“Fixing problems is how we improve. It’s how we survive—”

“Survive!” Etanu shouted. “You wouldn’t last one day if it weren’t for me. Are all Humans so blindingly stupid?”

Zack’s nostrils flared. “I suppose if we took the Nershal approach, we’d just give up and accept that perhaps we’re not up for the challenge, that there are some things beyond our comprehension,” Zack said. He was sick and tired of all these aliens thinking they knew better about everything—the Boxans with their superiority, the Nershals with their rigid honor codes that involved contests to the death, and the Xiiginns who were only concerned with their own gains. “It’s no wonder the Xiiginns were able to control your species so easily. They handed you advanced technology and you fumbled with it, then just set it aside because it was too dangerous, never following through on why it failed and questioning who provided said technology in the first place. But,” Zack shouted, not caring about being quiet, “come across a new species that unknowingly violates one of your precious laws or traditions and it’s a contest to the death.”

Etanu sneered, and his eyes blazed with anger.

A deep growl came from the other side of a large mound, and Zack glanced up, realizing they were already at the wall. A loud blast of air made him jump back. A large, clawed hand gripped a tree and the giant mutant pulled itself around. Its blazing orange eyes narrowed as it caught sight of them, and the three glowing points on its forehead flared. The triangular-shaped head and roughened skin left little doubt that the Xiiginns had somehow created a Boxan hybrid.

“Run, Human!” Etanu said, shoving Zack and then screaming for the creature’s attention.

Zack stumbled back. The Nershal unfurled his wings and leaped away, momentarily drawing the creature’s attention. Zack knew Etanu couldn’t fly for long with one of his wings damaged, but the other three wings enabled him to make long jumps.

The giant mutant emerged from its hiding spot, its eyes locked on Etanu, but then it cocked its head to the side, sniffing the air. It blew out a breath and circled around to face Zack, the soft ground giving way beneath its massive feet.
 

Oh crap,
Zack thought and backed away. The mutant followed, its massive chest heaving. Etanu tried to get its attention by crossing in front of it. The mutant hissed in his direction but kept coming for Zack.

What the hell does it want me for?

Zack turned and ran, the massive stomps of the giant mutant trailing in his wake. The gray wall loomed just ahead, and as he got closer he looked for any sign of a hidden door. Zack skidded to a halt. A chasm more than twenty feet across separated the land from the wall. There were no power cables visible, just a deep fissure. The giant mutant closed in with Etanu shouting behind it. Zack turned around, his heels inches from the edge. The giant slowed down when Zack didn’t run away.
 

“What do you want from me?” Zack shouted.

The creature came to halt just a dozen feet away. Narrowing its gaze as if it didn’t quite know what to make of Zack, it dropped down to one knee and leaned on its fist. The mutant sucked in some air through its nostrils and extended its head closer to Zack, and Zack noted that its labored breathing had a slight whistle near the end. With the creature this close he hoped Etanu didn’t do anything to antagonize it.
 

 
Zack glanced at the claws that had mercilessly ended the life of the other mutants at the feeding area, and he hardly dared to breathe. He had to work to keep his legs from shaking. But the creature closed its eyes, the blue glowing dots on its forehead pulsing. The creature’s long tail stretched lazily behind it. Even if Zack sprinted away as fast as he could, he doubted he could get away fast enough.
 

The creature opened its eyes as if sensing Zack’s thoughts. It reached out with a clawed hand and then snatched it back. The giant mutant surged to its feet, howling as it backed away. Zack moved away from both the edge of the chasm and the creature. He saw Etanu standing farther away, looking shocked. Etanu gestured for him to keep moving, but the mutant wasn’t even looking at them. It brought its hands to its head and spun around as if it were trying to block something out. Zack heard ragged breathing that was a mixture of growl and gasp. It was suffering.

Someone grabbed Zack’s arm and pulled him back. He turned and saw the blind mutant guiding him away. How the hell could it guide him if it was blind? Zack patted its hand, and the blind mutant let him go. Zack could still hear the giant mutant growling and thrashing, though the trees blocked his view. Etanu had circled around and caught up to them, but before he could speak, a loud gong rang, echoing throughout the pit.

There was a flurry of activity as if all the creatures trapped in the pit had responded to the gong. The giant mutant howled again, but it had stopped thrashing.
 

“We have to move,” Zack said, and started heading toward the feeding area.

Etanu caught up to him. “Why?”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit coincidental that the gong would just happen to go off now? The Xiiginns are up to something,” Zack said.

“What do you intend to do? You’ve seen what happens at the feeding area. It’s chaos,” Etanu said.

“It’s another way for them to control everything that goes on in this place,” Zack said.

“And it works. They are the ones in control,” Etanu said.

“Not entirely. There are things we can influence,” Zack said.

“I think this place is starting to get to you,” Etanu said.

Zack ignored the Nershal and kept moving. His mind kept going over his encounter with the giant mutant. Why hadn’t it attacked him? It had first showed signs of being curious, and then it started acting crazy.

“Slow down, Human,” Etanu said. “Zack, wait.”

Zack glanced back at the Nershal, slowing his pace.

“I just want to know what you have in mind. If there is a way I can help you, I will,” Etanu said.

“Save it. You already saved my life the other night. Your vow has been fulfilled. If we survive this place, I’ll even tell Udonzari the same thing,” Zack said.

“You think I’ve stayed by your side because of a vow?” Etanu said. “We haven’t encountered as many species as the Xiiginns or the Boxans have, but one behavior persists regardless of the species. The smart ones follow strength.”

Zack shook his head. “I’m not strong.”

“I don’t mean physical strength or even that of martial skills. What you did back there with the hybrid was extremely brave,” Etanu said.

“Or stupid. I was lucky. That thing could easily have killed me,” Zack said.

“All true, but a smart fool knows when to take a risk and when to run. It is for that reason that I continue to help you,” Etanu said.

“Then let’s hope my luck doesn’t run out, because I’m about to do something even more foolish than what I just did,” Zack said.

He quickened his pace, and Etanu and the blind mutant followed him. He couldn’t understand why Etanu kept going on about his being strong. Zack considered himself to have a few choice character traits, and strength wasn’t one of them. Smart and clever on occasion, he would acknowledge. He couldn’t have hacked all those corporate networks without being able to outsmart them and their security firms. But trapped in this alien world he hadn’t been able to use any of those skills. He just wanted to stay alive.
 

Before stumbling into this whole mess and getting recruited for the Athena mission, he hadn’t been living. It had been a half-life, and now that he realized this he wanted more than anything to get back to the others. He pictured Kaylan’s face in his mind, immediately followed by Katie’s. He made a promise to himself that if he survived the next few minutes, he would come clean and tell them both how he felt.

Another gong rang through the pit, louder this time, and they arrived at the feeding area a lot quicker than they had expected.
 

Zack glanced at the blind mutant. “Can you help? Will others like you help?” he asked.

The blind mutant turned his milky white eyes toward him for a moment and then headed away. Zack hoped that was a yes.
 

They came to the tree line, and the silent hunters were fanned out in front of the makeshift tunnel, where the supply caches were being unloaded.

Zack stepped forward and Etanu grabbed his arm.

“They will kill you without a moment’s hesitation,” Etanu said.

Zack nodded. “I know. I just hope that blind mutant brings some help.”

Etanu reached for the short sticks he had tucked inside his belt. “Any weapon is better than no weapon.”

“Hopefully, we won’t need them,” Zack said.

A guttural howl sounded a short distance behind them. The giant mutant would be there in a few minutes.
 

“Here goes nothing,” Zack said, and headed directly toward the mutants guarding the supply cache.