When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (50 page)

             
“Perfectly
,”
Markov answered
.“
They use MCUs on children with autism, and to great success. The neurological bond allows the AI to connect synapses that fire incorrectly based on a given situation
.
”             

             
Josh wrinkled his brow.
So the machine will make the decisions for me?
He did
n’
t like that one bit
.“
Doctor Ivanovich, I thought the problem with CROWN was a physical impasse. The human body could
n’
t keep up with what the machines asked of it. How is this any different
?
”

             
Here was the elephant in the room. Marko
v’
s face betrayed him for a fraction of a second, then he smiled
.“
The nanomachines will make it work
.”
And he would say no more.

             
The room went silent. No one knew what to say. That this had been more than a simple training camp had been obvious from the start. But this was something else. To rewire their systems from within, what would they have to give up? Would they still be themselves when the process was over? Would they still be human? Josh looked over at Dax, but his friend was in deep thought. Each soldier went into their own heads, seeking the answer to the great riddle. What were they willing sacrifice for the greater good?

             
And what were they willing to become?

-                           
IV                            -

January 2, 2237

              The time passed without notice, and Cameron found himself caring less and less about leaving the station. The lack of a Boxti armada in Eros had backfired on him, and it seemed h
e’
d been relegated to the bench. His last foray into the personnel office had been a waste of six hours. Fleet continued to promise that a new assignment was just around the corner, but he no longer cared. Irwin Cove needed trained pilots to work the newer flyers through their kinks, and he was more than willing to do so. Cameron had to admit, there was another reason he enjoyed the teache
r’
s life: he was too scared to fly.

             
For a week after his arrival at the Cove, Cameron had plead with Fleet officers to reinstate his flight status. A few days later, the nightmares began. It was the same every time. He would come to in the blue void, trapped inside his ship. Alarms would sound as each system went offline, until finally the air snuffed out. Suffocating, he would scream and pound the glass. Tha
t’
s usually when he would bolt awake.

             
On bad days, the shakes would last long after breakfast. This was definitely a bad day.

             
“You should talk to the shrink
.
”

             
Cameron jerked away from his daydream, momentarily lost. He looked around the small room, catching his reflection in the wall of mirrors by the door. Thick mats covered the floor and the smell of sweat and disinfectant filled the air. He looked to his right and saw Kaileen staring at him, worry-lines marring her face.

             
“Sorry
,”
he said
.“
Was I out there again
?
”

             
She nodded
.“
You should talk to Dr. Chong. Sh
e’
s not bad with this sort of thing
.
”

             
“
I’
m fine. I just need to work some things out
.
”

             
Kaileen stretched, her shirt pulling up enough so that Cameron could see her navel. His gaze lingered, until the bomber pilo
t’
s palm smacked him at the temple.

             
“No perving out, ace
.”
She smiled, though
.“
Look, when I first got here, I was kind of a bitch to everyone I met
.
”

             
Cameron cocked his head to the side
.“
Wait, you were worse
?
”

             
She hit him again.

             
Kaileen got to her feet, picking up light weights and starting her lunges
.“
Dr. Chong told me that humans are
n’
t supposed to experience this level of stress. It breaks us at a primal level
.”
She went down to her right knee, wincing
.“
Yo
u’
ve been through more than anyone
I’
ve ever met, Cam. Ther
e’
s no need to try and pretend it will go away
.
”

             
“Losing George hurt, but he would
n’
t want me to get declared section eight because of him
.
”

             
Kaileen paused her workout, letting out a long breath
.“
I
t’
s not George. I can see yo
u’
re mourning, but at least in a healthy way.
I’
m talking about the days you spent inside the void
.
”

             
“It was only ten hours
,”
Cameron said.

             
“Not for the rest of the world. Do you ever think about that? You travelled through time, although not very far
.”
She set down her weights, placing her fingertips on his arm
.“
Cameron, like it or not, yo
u’
ve become something of a friend to me.
I’
m not very likeable, so I appreciate that
.
”

             
“No problem
.
”

             
“But that also means that I care about you. I do
n’
t want this PTSD thing to ruin your career. I do
n’
t want to see you hurt anymore
.
”

             
Cameron lowered his eyes, breathing out slowly through his nostrils. He looked back at Kaileen, admiring her. She seemed so different from the angry pilot h
e’
d found a month before
.“
You care about me
?
”

             
“Do
n’
t make a big deal out of it, flyboy
.
”

             
Cameron laughed, and was surprised at good it felt.
Has it really been that long since
I’
ve been happy
?
“I’
ll talk to the doc
.”
Kaileen smiled at that
.“
But only if yo
u’
ll come with me
.
”

             
“I will
,”
Kaileen said
.“
Now stop jabbering, ace. Yo
u’
re looking a little flabby
.
”

*              *              *              *              *

              The holiday season brought new and unwelcome guests at Irwin Cove. Against all protests, alien ships had begun to dock for repairs. Groups of Nangolani pilots and soldiers wandered the halls of the station and lounged in the recreational areas. The issue of how to fix unknown technology notwithstanding, many Terrans had begun to take the position that the only good alien was a dead one. The gray-skinned creatures had brought nothing but pain and destruction, and their silent party line had run through its welcome very quickly. As far as the men and woman of the Cove were concerned, they were
n’
t worth the effort. A few fistfights had broken out so far, thankfully without creating a serious political incident.

             
It was already the end of the lunch schedule when Cameron managed to work his way down to the dining room. Classes were taking more and more of his time, at least what hours he did
n’
t spend in the bays with the chief engineers. The physical therapy was over, at least. H
e’
d managed to convince the doctors that he was
n’
t going to fall to pieces any time soon. Every week still brought a mandatory briefing session with one agent or another from the FAID, though the
y’
d started to figure out he really had no idea how h
e’
d survived the trip to Blue Space. The head doctors, an army of them each week, were another issue. Even though Commodore Osaka continued to search for a Boxti presence in Eros, the rest of the Squadron seemed to think him nuts. Part of his rehab included almost daily sessions with one shrink or another.

             
The air was heavy with the thick scent of beef and gravy. Most of the food served this deep in space was frozen or dehydrated protein mix, but with the right spices it really could come alive. Sadly, Irwin Cove rarely had the right spices and they were still rated the best chow on any military outpost. A few of the higher ranking officers would fly over to Green River every day, picking up some choice civilian meals, but Cameron had yet to receive an invitation. After grabbing his tray, he dumped spoonfuls of meat and vegetables onto his plate and walked to an open table. H
e’
d no more that sat down when two cadets leapt onto the bench opposite him.

             
“Lieutenant Davis
,”
one said. She was young, much younger than he remembered being as a new cadet
.“
We had a question regarding the Gauss cannons on the Sparrow
.
”

             
He sighed. He never got to just eat anymore
.“
The Sparrow does
n’
t carry the Gauss, remember? Sparrows are song birds, so they carry..
.”
He trailed off, waiting for them to finish the sentence.

             
The second cadet, a chunky kid in his last year as a teenager, spoke up
.“
Tuners
.”
He looked to his friend, excited to have remembered something important
.“
The
y’
re actually just standard DaVinci machine guns, but they mount two on each side, so they look like tuning forks
.
”

             
“They jam religiously
,”
Cameron said, shoving a spoonful of broccoli mush into his mouth
.“
Tha
t’
s why a Sparrow pilot who does
n’
t maintain their weapons is one wh
o‘
ca
n’
t carry a tune
.’
Every time you start your maintenance checks, you need to begin with the guns, then the bird, then the comm equipment. Shoot, move, communicate
.”
He sipped his glass of water
.“
What really brought you guys here
?
”

             
The girl blushed
.“
W
e’
re nervous about tomorrow
.
”

             
“First flight
,”
he said, remembering the moment h
e’
d sat down in the command seat as a young cadet
.“
You know there will be an instructor literally a foot behind you. There is almost no way to mess up
.
”

             
Chunk chewed on his tongue. Cameron stared at him until he spoke
.“
I
t’
s just, I mean, w
e’
ve never been out before
.
”

             
“Of course you have
.”
Cameron had gone through the same motions with other pilots during his career. Even veterans could get the shakes sometimes
.“
I assume neither of you are space-born. You at least took a shuttle to get to this station. That means the hard part is over. Yo
u’
ve done the boring bus ride. Now i
t’
s time to really get into the hot seat
.
”