Mindscape: Book 2 of the New Frontiers Series Read online

  Yes, they all lie, but not usually to start a war.

  And what if you’re wrong? What if the Solarians really did attack us and all you accomplish is to compromise our defenses so they can cripple us completely with their next attack?

  I’ve made up my mind, Commander. I understand if you don’t want to take a stand with me.

  I don’t agree with you, but I’m not going to let you go down alone, either. Hold on—this is the reason you wanted the refits canceled, isn’t it?

  Guilty as charged.

  You’re planning to take the Adamantine and use it to avoid the authorities. Where does your plan go from there? Go down in a blaze of glory or defect to the Solarian Republic?

  Neither.

  So we’re going to stay in space forever, playing hide and seek with the Alliance?

  Nope.

  Then what? McAdams demanded.

  The League is going to use this as an excuse to separate. We just have to hold out until then.

  You want us to join the League?

  Why not? You said you want real kids, not simulated ones, right? We’ll have more luck with that in a society where children are still wanted.

  What if the rest of the crew doesn’t go along with this?

  We don’t need everyone. Just the bridge crew. We’ll send the others to their G-tanks for maneuvers and lock them in.

  Okay, and what if the bridge crew doesn’t all side with us? What do we do, hold the dissenters at gunpoint?

  No guns. Hopefully I’ll be able to convince them to side with us. If not, don’t worry, I have a plan.

  Alex, if this backfires…

  It won’t.

  I hope you’re right.

  So do I.

  Chapter 26

  “You’re going to have to stay here, Ben,” Alexander said as he opened the door to his office aboard the Adamantine.

  Ben turned to him with his cherubic face, blond eyebrows elevating until they touched a curtain of holographic hair. “What do you want me to do, master?”

  “Call me Alex.”

  “People who refer to each other by their first names are usually friends or acquaintances. Which are we?”

  “I’d like to think we can be friends.”

  Ben gave an ingenuous smile. “I’d like to think that, too. What do you want me to do in your office, friend Alex?”

  Alexander shook his head and gestured to his desk. “Sit down, use the data terminal to learn about the ship and see how you can make yourself useful. I’ll let you know if I have anything more specific for you to do.”

  “Of course, friend Alex,” Ben said, servos whirring in his newly restored body. He wore a shiny black ensign’s uniform without the insignia.

  “Just Alex.”

  Ben turned to him, looking crestfallen. “We are not friends?”

  Alexander laughed. “Sure we are, but you don’t have to call attention to it all the time. You’re one odd cookie, Ben.”

  “If you mean that my figurative batter did not cohere to its figurative cookie-cutter shape, thus making me unique from other figurative cookies, I will take that as a compliment, Alex.”

  Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think you just gave me a headache.”

  “I’m sorry. Am I speaking too loudly?”

  “Never mind. Have fun. You can use the holocomm on the desk to contact me, but only if it’s an emergency.”

  “Understood, Alex.”

  Alexander turned and left his office with a wry smile. The bot was beginning to grow on him—Ben was something between a pet and a child. A protégé, perhaps.

  He stopped himself there, suddenly realizing the one part of his plan that he hadn’t thought through. He was about to defect to the Human League—assuming that they managed to separate from the Alliance—and he was taking a bot with him. A frown stole across his face. He and Ben were going to have to part ways before then.

  When Alexander reached the bridge, he walked up to his control station and climbed into the acceleration couch beside McAdams.

  “Sir,” she said stiffly, nodding to him as he buckled in. “We’re ready for launch.”

  “Good. Let’s have the crew report to their G-tanks before we set out. We’ll need to perform some high-G maneuvers to negate our initial launch velocity and join the fleet in orbit.”

  “Yes, sir… Should we prep the bridge, too?”

  “May as well.”

  He’d just bought himself fifteen minutes or so before launch. Hopefully that would be enough time. He needed an excuse not to join the fleet in orbit around Earth. He could think of any number of hypothetical systems malfunctions that would do the trick, but getting his crew to go along with those excuses was another matter.

  Harnesses dropped down above their heads and crew began unbuckling from their acceleration couches in preparation for the switch from physical to virtual command.

  Alexander followed suit and stood up from his acceleration couch to reach the harness dangling above his head. Grabbing the straps, he buckled them around his chest and under his crotch. Next he attached his life support tubes and inserted the tracheal tube of his liquid ventilator. The harness lifted him above the deck as soon as he finished buckling it. As soon as everyone else was ready, the inertial compensation emulsion gushed into the room, roaring like a waterfall. The sound echoed from the walls, amplifying the noise. While he waited, Alexander made a mental connection to the holocomm in his office. Ben?

  Alex! I was hoping I would hear from you.

  I need your help. What have you managed to learn about the Adamantine so far?

  Oh, almost everything there is to know—at least, everything that I could access from here. I was just about to ask what else you would like me to do.

  Good. I need you to help me perform some repairs to the ship’s drive system.

  The ship reports all systems nominal, Alex.

  Alexander grimaced. Yes, that’s right, he replied, thinking fast. But I want you to optimize the drive system so it will be more efficient.

  Oh, I see. I didn’t find anything about optimizing the drive system in the ship’s databanks.

  That’s all right. I’ll tell you what to do. Get down to the engine room, and let me know when you’re there.

  Aye aye, Admiral!

  Alexander broke the connection. If everything went according to plan, Ben would give him the perfect excuse to put some distance between him and the Alliance fleet.

  The best kind of lie is the truth, he thought.

  Chapter 27

  “Bridge submersion successful,” McAdams announced. “All G-tanks report filled and all one hundred and twenty crew are present and accounted for in the Adamantine’s mindscape. Switch over to virtual complete.”

  Alexander nodded. Good timing, he thought. Ben had just finished sabotaging the ship’s drive system a couple of minutes ago.

  “Bishop, release docking clamps.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  The Adamantine released its hold on Freedom Station, and the main forward viewscreen showed the glinting, solar cell-encrusted disk of Freedom Station drifting away. Ships always docked bow first with the station, allowing them to share the microgravity imparted by the station’s tethered orbit around Earth.

  “Set course for the fleet. Ten Gs”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Freedom Station swept away as the ship rotated, allowing a crescent-shaped glimpse of the shining white and blue marble at the other end of the space elevator.

  Alexander watched Bishop and Rodriguez carefully for their reaction to what happened next. As soon as their rotation stopped, Bishop fired up the mains, quickly ramping up to ten Gs. Inside the Mindscape they barely felt that force pressing them into their acceleration couches—just enough to remind them the ship was accelerating, but not enough to be distracting.

  “Course set,” Bishop reported.

  Alexander nodded. Wait for it… he thought.

  “Woah, hold up—
” Rodriguez said. The sensation of acceleration abruptly disappeared.

  “What’s going on?” Bishop asked. “I just lost all forward thrust.”

  “I had to shut the engines down. They were redlining. Looks like we have a coolant leak.”

  “How long to fix it?”

  “Depends on the extent of the leak. Ten minutes maybe. I’m deploying repair drones so our engineers can get to work.”

  “Keep me posted. Hayes—update fleet command with our status. Explain the situation.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Opening a private comms channel with Ben, Alexander said, Are you back in my office yet?

  I am.

  Good. I need you to create a lockout protocol to cut off all access to the ship’s controls except from my control station.

  You want to be the only one in control of the ship?

  Yes.

  Fleet regulations state that a minimum of two people must be in command of a warship at any one time.

  Alexander frowned. What do you know about fleet regulations?

  I learned about them when I was in your office, studying the Adamantine.

  I see. Well, I didn’t want to alarm you, Ben, but we have a traitor on board. I can’t be sure who it is yet, so in order to keep the ship safe, I need to be the only one in control for now.

  Oh my! I understand, Alex. Please forgive my impertinence.

  That’s okay. How long before you can do that?

  A few minutes, I believe.

  Good. Send me the lockout codes when you’re done.

  Yes, sir.

  Alexander turned to McAdams and thought at her, Almost ready.

  Are you sure you want to go through with this? she asked.

  Too late to back out now. That coolant leak is going to lead straight back to me.

  That was you?

  Ben actually.

  You got a bot to sabotage the ship? Isn’t that against his programming?

  Not if he thinks he’s making the ship run more efficiently.

  What happens when Rodriguez finds out it was sabotage?

  Nothing. By then she and everyone else will be locked out of their stations and I’ll have full control of the ship.

  Let me guess, Ben again? When he realizes you’ve made him an unwitting accessory to treason, his programming will oblige him to turn you in.

  He seems pretty naive, even for a bot, so chances are slim he’ll figure out what I’m really doing.

  You’re going to take the entire crew hostage.

  That’s right.

  And defect to the not yet sovereign Human League. You do realize even if they win a referendum, it’ll take months before you can officially join them and be granted political asylum.

  Sure, and the crew can spend years in their tanks if they have to. We might be a little wrinkly when we come out, but…

  Not funny, Alex.

  Sorry. Look, it’s the right thing to do.

  I’m sure that will hold up in court.

  It ought to. Anyway, if you want out, it’s not too late. Thanks to Ben I don’t need you to participate. You can just be another one of the hostages.

  I’m not going to let you take all the blame. And you’re going to need help.

  Treason is still a capital offense, Vivie. If we get captured…

  So let’s make sure we don’t.

  All the same, I’m going to keep you out of it for as long as I can. For now, play dumb and let’s stop sending private comms. I’m going to erase the logs as soon as Ben gives me control of the ship.

  That’s fine. Just remember, you’re not alone.

  “Uh, sir… we have a problem,” Rodriguez reported from engineering.

  “What’s that, Lieutenant?”

  “The drive system… it looks like it was sabotaged.”

  “What? How? The entire crew is submerged in G-tanks,” Alexander said, feigning surprise. “Lieutenant Stone! Check the security logs for that section.”

  “Checking… what the hell? I’ve got a bot ripping open the coolant lines with a plasma cutter. Since when do we have bots on board? I thought we canceled the automation refits.”

  McAdams glanced at Alexander, her eyes wide with concern.

  Alexander flashed a reassuring smile, then allowed it to fade to a scowl. “Shit. That has to be Ben.”

  “Who?”

  “My personal assistant.”

  “You have a bot?”

  “I rescued him. Rodriguez knows about it. Clearly someone got to him and programmed him for sabotage.”

  “Where is he now?” Stone asked.

  “Didn’t you leave him in your office when you came aboard?” Rodriguez asked. “I saw you and Ben go in there when I was leaving my rucksack in my quarters.”

  “I’ll send a detail of VSMs,” Stone added.

  Alexander nodded and made mental contact with Ben once more. The traitors are sending virtual space marines to my office, Ben. You need to hurry up and get that lockout protocol in place.

  Almost ready, Alex… what would you like me to make the security code?

  A random sequence of numbers. Transmit it to my station.

  Yes, sir.

  “How close are the marines?” Alexander asked, hoping they wouldn’t interrupt Ben before he could finish.

  “A few more minutes, sir.”

  “I don’t get it, I checked that bot’s code myself,” Rodriguez said. “There wasn’t anything malicious in there.”

  “He had areas of corrupted memory, did you scan those, too?” Alex asked.

  “No, how could I?”

  “That might have been his cover.”

  “Maybe…”

  “Where did you get that bot, anyway?” Stone asked.

  “A Human League Senator had him and wanted me to take it off her hands before it got her into trouble.”

  “League Terrorism,” Cardinal concluded from the ship’s weapons control station. “Someone trying to oppose the fleet automation. This could be bad. Are you sure the coolant lines were the only thing sabotaged?”

  “Far as I can tell,” Rodriguez said.

  “You might want to double-check that.”

  Alex. I’m done. Sending the code to you now. You should see it in your inbox.

  Alexander nodded. A message had just appeared there. Got it. Thanks, Ben.

  The marines are at the door. What should I do?

  Hide. I need a minute to shut them down.

  Okay…

  “What the? I’ve just lost contact with the marines,” Stone reported. “I’m locked out of my control station!”

  “Likewise,” Bishop put in.

  The remainder of the crew all reported the same. McAdams last of all.

  Alexander ignored them, working fast to shut down the VSMs Stone had sent to his office. As soon as he was done, he looked up to find the entire crew looking at him expectantly.

  “Why is your control station the only one still working?” Stone asked, an edge of steel creeping into his voice.

  Busted. “Because I transferred control of all the ship’s systems to my station. As of this moment, I am in complete control of the Adamantine.”

  “What? Why?” Rodriguez demanded.

  Alex, I think they’ve stopped trying to get in. What should I do now? Ben interrupted.

  Stay hidden. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.

  Okay.

  Answering his chief engineer, Alexander said, “I took control because I’m about to commit an act of treason.” Silent shock rippled through the bridge. “Let me explain. We all know what we found aboard the Crimson Warrior—no evidence of Solarian involvement in the attacks whatsoever. Before we even returned to Earth we connected to one of Earth’s commsats and found out that the president was claiming the exact opposite and using fictitious evidence to justify a war. I plan to communicate those facts to the people of Earth in the hopes that exposing the president’s lies will prevent that war.”

&nb
sp; “You don’t know that the Solarians didn’t attack us,” Cardinal put in.

  “No, but I do know that they didn’t use the Crimson Warrior.”

  “That might not be enough to stop a war. What are you hoping to accomplish here?” McAdams said.

  Alexander glanced at her. She was playing the part of the unwitting hostage a little too well. “I’m hoping to buy us time to find who our real enemy is.”

  “And if that enemy still turns out to be the Solarians?” she added.

  Devil’s advocate, Alexander thought. “Then at least people will know President Wallace can’t be trusted. But I don’t believe the Solarians attacked us. It may have actually been our own government, and by exposing Wallace as a liar, we’ll set in motion a chain of events that will enable us to prove that.”

  Murmurs filled the room as the crew argued with each other about the ethics and consequences involved.

  “I’ll save you all the trouble of deciding whether or not to join me. You’re all effectively my hostages for now, which means that none of you can be held responsible for what I do next.”

  Indignant exclamations assaulted Alexander’s ears. He ignored them and activated the ship’s comm system. There was nothing they could do while trapped on a virtual bridge deck. Even if they got up from their control stations and tried to physically stop him, he could simply reduce his level of immersion and things like simulated pain—say from physical blows—would fade away.

  Time to pay the piper, Wallace.

  It didn’t take long to compose his message. As proof of his claims he attached a copy of the report they’d sent to fleet command, the one indicating that they’d found nothing on board the Crimson Warrior to implicate the Solarians in the attacks. He added that the Crimson Warrior even had a civilian alibi, the Wayfinder, which would be a simple matter to verify by contacting the crew of that ship. Then he pointed out that the date stamp for the report was just hours prior to the date of the president’s address, the one in which President Wallace had claimed that damning evidence had been found aboard the Crimson Warrior.

  Now it was the word of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Admiral, the “Lion of Liberty,” against that of President Wallace.

  “You can all stop arguing,” Alex said as he sent the message. “It’s done. Soon all of Earth, and the Solarians for that matter, will see Wallace for the liar that he is. He’ll have no choice but to resign.”