Майкл Бишоп - The Final Frontier - Stories of Exploring Space, Colonizing the Universe, and First Contact

“An alien, Speedy?” Adel felt too lightheaded to be scared. “And you didn’t tell anyone?” It was as if the gravity generator had failed and at any moment he would float away from this grim reality.

“So where is this fucking prazz now?” Jarek ripped a damask tablecloth into strips.

“The sentry ship itself crashed into the backside engine room. But it has deployed a remote.” The Godspeed seemed twitchy and preoccupied. “It’s in the conservatory, smashing cacti.”

“What?” said Adel.

“It has already destroyed my rain forest and torn up my alpine garden.”

plus buzzed—they’re fighting with plants?—

“Show me,” said Jarek.

The wall turned a deep featureless blue. “I can’t see them; my cameras there are gone.” The Godspeed paused, her expression uneasy.

—more bad news coming—buzzed minus .

“You should know,” she said, “that just before it attacked, the prazz warned me that I was infested with vermin and needed to sterilize myself. When I told it that I didn’t consider you vermin…”

“You’re saying they’ll come for us?” said Jarek.

“I’m afraid that’s very likely.”

“Then stop it.”

She waved her magic staff disconsolately. “I’m at a loss to know how.”

“Fuck that, Speedy.” Jarek pointed one of the slats at her fetch. “You think of something. Right now.” He knelt by Meri. “I’m going to splint you now, love. It’s probably going to hurt.”

Meri screamed as he tenderly straightened her arm.

“I know, love,” said Jarek. “I know.”

—we have to get out of here—buzzed minus .

“How badly are you damaged, Speedy?” said Adel. “Can we use the MASTA?”

“My MASTA is operational on a limited basis only. My backside engine complex is a complete loss. I thought I was able to vent all the antimatter in time, but there must have been a some left that exploded when the containment failed.”

Something slammed onto the level below them so hard that the walls shook.

—those things are tearing her apart—

—looking for us—

“I’ve sealed off the area as best I can but the integrity of my life-support envelope has been compromised in several places. At the rate I’m bleeding air into space…”

Adel felt another jarring impact, only this one felt as if it were farther away. The Godspeed’s fetch blurred and dispersed into fog. She reconstituted herself on the wall.

“…the partial pressure of oxygen will drop below 100 millibars sometime within the next ten to twelve hours.”

“That’s it then.” Jarek helped Meri to her feet and wiped the tears from her face with his forefinger. “We’re all jumping home. Meri can walk, can’t you Meri?”

She nodded, her eyes wide with pain. “I’m fine.”

“Adel, we’ll carry Jonman out first.”

“The good news,” said the Godspeed , “is that I can maintain power indefinitely using my frontside engines.”

“Didn’t you hear me?” Jarek’s voice rose sharply. “We’re leaving right now. Jonman and Kamilah can’t wait and the rest of us vermin have no intention of being sterilized by your fucking prazz.”

“I’m sorry, Jarek.” She stared out at them, her face set. “You know I can’t send you home. Think about it.”

“Speedy!” said Meri. “No.”

“What?” said Adel. “What’s he talking about?”

“What do you care about the protocols?” Jarek put his arm around Meri’s waist to steady her. “You’ve already kicked them over. That’s why we’re in this mess.”

“The prazz knows where we are,” said the Godspeed , “but it doesn’t know where we’re from. I burst my weekly reports…” “Weekly lies, you mean,” said Adel.

“They take just six nanoseconds. That’s not nearly enough time to get a fix. But a human transmit takes 1.43 seconds and the prazz is right here on board.” She shook her head sadly. “Pointing it at the Continuum would violate my deepest operating directives. Do you want a prazz army marching off the MASTA stage on Moquin or Harvest?”

“How do we know they have armies?” Jarek said, but his massive shoulders slumped. “Or MASTAs?”

Jonman laughed. It was a low, wet sound, almost a cough. “Adel,” he rasped. “I see…” He was trying to speak but all that came out of his mouth was thin, pink foam.

Adel knelt by his side. “Jonman, what? You see what?”

“I see.” He clutched at Adel’s arm. “You.” His grip tightened. “Dead.” His eyelids fluttered and closed.

—this isn’t happening—

“What did he say?” said Meri.

“Nothing.” Adel felt Jonman’s grip relaxing; his arm fell away.

—dead? —buzzed plus

Adel put his ear to Jonman’s mouth and heard just the faintest whistle of breath.

minus buzzed—we’re all dead—

Adel stood up, his thoughts tumbling over each other. He believed that Jonman hadn’t spoken out of despair—or cruelty. He had seen something, maybe a way out, and had tried to tell Adel what it was.

—don’t play tikra with Jonman—buzzed minus—he cheats—

—dead —plus buzzed —but not really—

“Speedy,” said Adel, “what if you killed us?” What would the prazz do then?”

Jarek snorted in disgust. “What kind of thing is that to…” Then he understood what Adel was suggesting. “Hot damn!”

“What?” said Meri. “Tell me.”

“But can we do it?” said Jarek. “I mean, didn’t they figure out that it’s bad for you to be dead too long?”

Adel laughed and clapped Jarek on the shoulder. “Can it be worse than being dead forever?”

—so dangerous —buzzed minus.

—we’re fucking brilliant—

“You’re still talking about the MASTA?” said Meri. “But Speedy won’t transmit.”

“Exactly,” said Adel.

“There isn’t much time,” said the Godspeed .

Adel was impressed with how easy it was being dead. The things that had bothered him when he was alive, like being hungry or horny, worrying about whether his friends really liked him or what he was going to be if he ever grew up—none of that mattered. Who cared that he had never learned the first law of thermodynamics or that he had blown the final turn in the most important race of his life? Appetite was an illusion. Life was pleasant, but then so were movies.

The others felt the same way. Meri couldn’t feel her broken arm and Jonman didn’t mind at all that he was dying, although he did miss Robman. Adel felt frustrated at first that he couldn’t rouse Kamilah, but she was as perfect unconscious as she was when she was awake. Besides, Upwood predicted that she would get bored eventually being alone with herself. It wasn’t true that nobody changed after they were dead, he explained, it was just that change came very slowly and was always profound. Adel had been surprised to meet Upwood Marcene in Speedy’s pocket-afterlife, but his being there made sense. And of course, Adel had guessed that Sister Lihong Rain would be dead there too. As it turned out, she had been dead many times over the seven years of her pilgrimage.

Speedy had created a virtual space in her memory that was almost identical to the actual Godspeed . Of course, Speedy was as real as any of them, which is to say not very real at all. Sister urged the newcomers to follow shipboard routine whenever possible; it would make the transition back to life that much easier. Upwood graciously moved out of The Ranch so that Adel could have his old room back. Speedy and the pilgrims gathered in the Ophiuchi or the Chillingsworth at meal times, and although they did not eat, they did chatter. They even propped Kamilah on a chair to include her in the group. Speedy made a point of talking to her at least once at every meal. She would spin theories about the eating man on Kamilah’s medallion or propose eyejack performances Kamilah might try on them.