Neal Asher - The Engineer Reconditioned

“Perhaps we should have taken a tranquilliser,” he quipped.

“We did,” said Chapra, and he laughed. Chapra wondered if she might prefer him lacking in confidence and all screwed-up.

“Has anything interesting happened while I’ve been asleep?”

Chapra detailed the girl’s researches and the scene that had met her when she had gone to the eating area.

“It was the toilet that did it really,” she said. “She’s just another probe beast, just another mechanism for obtaining information.”

“I didn’t go there,” said Abaron, his face curiously lacking expression.

“It bothers you too?”

Abaron shrugged. “Genetically speaking she’s the closest relation I’ve got.” He looked up from his console as Box activated the projection from the isolation chamber. “Ah, we have some action.” The girl had just come through the lock and was walking out on the jetty. At the end of the jetty she stripped off her clothing then dived in. It could have been a scene from anywhere on Earth had the water not been nearly at boiling point and had not the Jain immediately zeroed in on her like a hungry crocodile.

“I wonder if the Jain will smash this probe beast,” said Chapra. Abaron looked askance at her. She ignored him and cut the refractivity of the water. They watched as the Jain caught the girl with its single hand and snaked out one tentacle to plug in to her back. The actions looked almost obscene. The girl froze, arms outstretched and fingers rigid; a newt with its neutral buoyancy.

“I have received disturbing news,” said Box abruptly, hardly impinging on their fascination.

“Yes, what?” said Chapra.

“There is an unidentified ship heading towards us, due to arrive in two days. On its way here it released smart missiles at the Jubilan communications satellite and the planet-based runcible. The satellite was destroyed but the missiles fired at the runcible were intercepted. Had the runcible been destroyed we would have received no warning.”

“What?” said Abaron. “What was that?”

Chapra suddenly felt very cold. This had been a possibility right from the start.

“Unidentified?”

“The probability is high that it is a mercenary craft employed by the Separatist movement.”

“How long until the Cable Hogue gets here?”

“It is translight with a new design of engine. Projected time of arrival is four days.”

“ Cable Hogue ?” asked Abaron angrily.

Chapra said, “The dreadnought sent out here to protect us—”

“Oh yeah,” Abaron sneered.

“My thoughts exactly, but we are not in a position to dispute the matter. I for one would prefer Earth Monitors here and an AI-directed warship than Separatists and out-Polity mercenaries.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it would have interfered with your work.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“You don’t have to. You’re at the bottom of the ladder and only here because I agreed for you to come.” Abaron was still angry, but kept his mouth shut.

Chapra turned from him. “We have forty-eight Solstan hours?”

“Yes,” said Box.

Abaron looked thoughtful for a moment then said, “What about the runcible?”

“It is not possible, at this time, to use it,” replied Box.

“Why?”

“Since entering the Quarrison Drift we have gone beyond the range of any other runcible to which you could transmit.”

Abaron swore and peered down at his touch console. He refused to look at Chapra. She repressed the sudden contempt she felt. Really, he had been right to ask…

“What capabilities do you have?” she asked Box.

“I do not have armament.”

“Can we outrun this ship?”

“With a translight slingshot around the sun this is possible.”

“What about the Jain?”

“Hang on,” interrupted Abaron. “What do they want?”

“They want the Jain. Isn’t that obvious?”

“No, not necessarily. What are the projections, Box?”

“Separatists are normally xenophobic in outlook. It is more likely that they are coming here to kill the Jain and destroy all its technology than to kidnap and use it,” said Box. Chapra folded her arms, nodded, and met Abaron’s look of victory for a moment. He was grasping things more firmly now but Chapra had no time for such games. Things had turned deadly serious. She turned to the projection and saw that the girl was climbing out onto the jetty. The Jain’s tentacle was still plugged into her back. Once she was up on the jetty the Jain began to follow her.

“Box,” said the girl, looking straight from the projection at Chapra and Abaron. “It is necessary that I speak with decision makers.” There was nothing of a little girl in her voice. Over the com Chapra understood the precise selection of every word. She had asked, “What about the Jain?” She realised then that it might be the Jain itself that answered the question. She stared at the projection, noticed something else. “The machine, it’s shrinking again isn’t it?”

“Yes,” replied Box. “There is water flow and an increase in contaminants.”

“I’m going down there.”

“Me too,” said Abaron.

Here’s the test, thought Chapra. He had not been in the isolation chamber since that worm-thing had taken a chunk out of his arm. She watched him stomp out ahead of her and waited for the door to close.

“Was that true… about the runcible?” she asked.

“Would I lie?” asked Box.

Chapra said nothing as she followed Abaron. She was well aware that AIs sacrificed human lives for the greater good of humanity. She did not find this knowledge comforting.

As she stepped through the airlock, Chapra caught the tail end of a conversation between the girl, or rather the Jain, and Box. She understood none of it because it ran at high speed. It finished shortly after she and Abaron walked out onto the jetty. She felt suddenly superfluous. Information had already been exchanged, decisions made. The girl turned to her and Chapra saw a girl with her own character and a mind possibly superior to Chapra’s own. Yet the Jain, lying there on the end of the jetty with its weird head turned towards them, was looking through the girl, who to it was just a tool, a lens to bring them into focus for it.

“I have told the Jain of the Separatist ship,” said Box.

“And?” asked Chapra.

“The Jain wishes to be transported to the surface of the planet, which was its wish before I told it about the ship.”

“Why does it want to go there?” asked Abaron.

Chapra glanced at him and saw that he was staring intently at the Jain. His fear was gone. There was hungry fascination in his regard.

“Why I wish to go to the surface is not relevant. Under Polity law you do not have the right to detain me, and I can also demand transport to the nearest habitable planet, which for me is Haden.” Both Chapra and Abaron stared at the girl for a long moment. It was pointless asking how she… it, knew so much about Polity law.

“You are aware of the threat posed to you by the Separatist ship?” she asked.

“I am aware that on this ship I am in greater danger than I would be in the sea below. None of your kind have scanners sensitive enough to detect me in that sea, and should a search be initiated I would much more easily be able to evade it or defend myself.”

“Solves a couple of problems,” said Abaron. “The Jain can hide from them down there and they’ve no reason to attack us without the Jain aboard.”

Chapra glanced at him. He was naïve and in this situation that could be dangerous. “They are not coming here to kill the Jain just because they’re xenocides, but to prevent Jain technology getting into Polity hands, which they’ll view as just a bigger stick for ECS to beat them with. They won’t risk letting us get away. Even with the Jain gone we might already have learned something vital or have acquired some super-science device. There is no doubt that they will try to destroy this ship.”