Evolution (5 page)

As if to answer Sam’s unspoken question, Joe nodded. “I’ll go with you if you want. I know the guy who runs the operation on Pholus. He’s hardnosed when it comes to business, and once he makes up his mind, there’s no arguing with him, but he’s not stupid. We’ve had some discussions over the years about one thing or another.”

All of Lev’s petunias nodded their heads. “We’ll be there in three weeks.”

* * *

T
he barren rock
grew larger out the shuttle’s view screen. Only a quarter of Pholus had been terraformed. Sam wondered if Lev intentionally highlighted the desolation as the craft took a leisurely approach to the mining facility.

Joe peered at the same wasteland. “You’d think they’d want to leave, wouldn’t you? But this will be a tough sell.”

“Why?” Sam asked. “Do they have that much invested out here?”

Joe nodded ahead toward the bright lights of the outpost on the horizon. “They’ve done well with their methane reserves. No one knows how much is left in the ground, but their planet isn’t showing the instability we had to deal with when we depleted our groundwater. The solar transfer array is cheaper energy, but it’s not accessible everywhere. And turning it into something storable isn’t easy unless you’re a big spaceship. So methane makes a nice alternative once it’s processed down into something usable for the vessels that work this region of the solar system.”

Vessels orbited above the outpost. They were larger than shuttles but smaller than most interplanetary ships. It didn’t take much imagination to guess at Pholus’s customer base. “Pirates.”

Joe nodded. “Most started out as mining firms along the Kuiper Belt. Now they do what they can to survive. The Martian Solar Consortium doesn’t sanction them, so they have to find other sources of energy. Methane-rich rocks like Pholus do quite well.”

Small gardens spread out under the shuttle, followed by more mature vegetation. Nothing came close to resembling the lush plant life on Chariklo. Rows of lights lit up on the view screen, directing the shuttle to the landing site among the pipelines and storage tanks that littered the landscape of the small planet.

Nessus had looked like the poor cousin of the industrial facility that was Pholus.

Joe stared up at the fuel-storage cylinders that reached all the way up to the low-flying ships. “We used to pick up their cast-off equipment. The same firm owned both operations for a time, but it was too small to stay in business. Once they got bought up by Ganymede—one of the Jupiter corporations—we lost our main source of funding.”

A jovial man of more than average girth greeted Joe on landing. “It’s good to see you again, Joseph. Though as I said when you called from space, I don’t think we have much to discuss. We’re not leaving.”

“Thanks for meeting with us, Ben. Should we do this in a less conspicuous space?”

The man directed them to his large office that overlooked the mining facility. “The solar array can go shine up its own black hole for all I care. I wish it would. Every mistake they make is more money in my pocket.”

Joe did his best to explain the dire nature of their situation. “This will be the last ship, Ben. Last chance for at least a year to get your people out of here. Those arrays overhead give you light and heat if nothing else. You may not profit off them, but your workers’ lives depend on that light, don’t they?”

Ben raised his palm toward Joe. “My people will be just fine. They may lose their little gardens—and we’ll have to supply them with power to stay warm—but we’ll survive.”

Sam suspected light and heat wouldn’t be free from Ben. The workers might find basic survival depended a little too much on their employer.

Ben motioned to the ships overhead. “That energy shadow should double our customer base. If we’re not here, the pirates will just belly up to the bar and help themselves. The message from
Leviathan
said we’d be dark for six months. This place without someone in charge will turn into a bombed-out crater. Wouldn’t take much to blow this whole planet into little bitty asteroids. Those passing ships have no clue about safety.”

A couple of workers were repairing a stuck valve out their boss’s window. Judging from the worn-out pipes and methane outgassing from random points along the equipment, Sam guessed Ben’s concern for safety had more to do with profits than people.

“Don’t you owe it to them?” Sam asked. “Even just to let them know what they’re in for, and that there’s an option?” It seemed pretty obvious: people should know rescue was possible.

Ben rose, leaning his knuckles on the desk. “No, I don’t owe it to them. They signed a contract. Good or bad, they’re here for five years. I need every one of those workers to keep this place running. And if worse does come to worst, we can barter transport from one of our loyal customers.”

Sam had no illusions regarding a pirate’s loyalty. He doubted Ben did either, but it made a nice selling point should any of his employees complain.

Joe spread his hands. “I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to. My people chose to take passage off Nessus. If your mind’s made up, I’ll just wish you luck.”

Ben’s demeanor softened when he saw he’d won his argument. “No hard feelings. And when your little band returns to Nessus, let me know.”

Sam thought back to his trip out from Earth to the Kuiper Belt, which seemed like a lifetime ago. Existence was hard on the small outposts. Pirates had little concern for human life. People did what they had to do. He might not respect Ben’s decision to stay and to keep his employees on as little more than indentured servants, but this far from what mankind considered normal civilization, that was life. And the last thing a person wanted to do was push a discussion past the point of civility—nothing won an argument easier than killing the opposing combatant.

He looked at the blackness of space as they headed back to the shuttle. “What do you think of their chances?”

Joe plunged his hands into the pockets of his overalls. “Hard to say. Six months without the solar array is a death sentence to Nessus, but Ben has power. Whether it’s enough for his community and to keep the pirates happy is a gamble.” He motioned to the beat-up ships overhead. “They don’t take well to reductions in supply. Losing what little solar they do receive means they’ll be hitting Ben up harder for more methane. I don’t envy him. But if he can keep things together—and pump enough for the demand—he could get filthy rich.”

As their shuttle worked its way off the mining planet, a gray ship with deep battle scars crept around behind them. Sam zoomed the view screen in on the potential attacker. Fresh scars overlapped older weathered scrapes. “I don’t like the looks of this guy, and I’m no shuttle pilot.”

“He’s not alone,” Joe said. “Two others are attempting to look coy, but they lifted off not long after us. I can call Ben—not sure it’d do much good.”

Lev appeared in the lower screen. Sam thought a gun, or even a stick, would’ve been more appropriate than the bowl of petunias she insisted on maintaining.

“Really, Lev, this could get ugly,” Sam said. “Any hope you can give this shuttle full power and get us out of here?”

“Knock-knock.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of—being knocked out of existence.”

“Knock. Knock.”

“This is really not the time. Who the fuck is there, Lev?”

“Lev.”

Oh lord.
“Lev who?”

“Lev the mother of all Tobes, that’s who.”

The shuttle spun hard around into the path of the three attackers. Sam searched the console, desperate to locate some offense-weapon display hidden specifically for such attacks. He didn’t find one.

Stand down.
The wordless command, so intense only a ship the size of
Leviathan
could have boomed it across space, echoed in Sam’s mind.

The three small attack crafts looked like a child’s toys as they bent their noses down and came to a stop.

Lev-the-petunias pulled out some toy rapid-fire laser guns with her petals and pretended to fire them around the cabin. “Those poor captains are scrambling around their bridges like animals trapped in cages. You didn’t think I’d ever put you in danger, did you, Sam?”

Sam slumped into the pilot’s chair—an oddly meaningless seat of authority even on a pirate ship, he realized. “I have to confess, I didn’t see that one coming. You just disabled their ships like you were throwing a switch?”

“Yep. Not like I could do that to someone like Sophie. She’s complicated. But these pirate vessels are all power and no brains.” Faces in the center of the blooms took on a smug look of achievement.
Give me something challenging next time
.

S
am smiled
with relief as
Persephone
made her approach to
Leviathan
. Questions from his daughters—and the village—had drained every piece of trivial firsthand information he could remember regarding Earth. Had anyone told him there’d be a nearly month-long test, he might have paid more attention during that first segment of his life. Resorting to the warehouse of information locked in his brain still sent shivers of fear down his spine. Accessing mankind’s knowledge in emergencies was bad enough, but doing it on a regular basis would too easily turn him into the Answer Man.

He’d kept quiet about the year spent with the Tobes. That information wasn’t going to help with the move. The technophobic village didn’t want to hear about their fake shaman being a god to computer-based entities. He wondered how the Tobes had developed during the intervening years. Change occurred so fast on Earth.

As the luxurious space yacht swung into position, Sam joined his family to make their good-byes to the village. People assured him it’d only be a year. But a year to people who spent their lives together—and seldom relocated—wasn’t the same to someone who’d bounced around for much of his adult life. So much could happen.

He sensed a finality leaving the agro pod.
Leviathan
would bring the village to Earth, but Rendition would never again let him call that small section of orbiting, inhabited space home. He held his girls tight. Jess, Sara, Emily, and Jillian were his immediate family.

Larry—the human face of command for
Persephone
—greeted the family at the loading bay. With one quick glance at the handful of packages, he waved his hand. “Where’s the rest of it? I’m sure you brought more than this with you from Earth.”

Jess hitched her thumb back along the mile-long ship they were leaving. “We found a bigger trunk.”

“Fair enough. Sophie is beside herself waiting for you. I’d better get you moving.”

Sara and Emily found it hard to contain their excitement, bouncing in their seats as the polished vessel dominated the shuttle’s screens. Jess and Jillian, however, kept taking secretive glances back at
Leviathan
. Their two histories were so tightly bound to the old space freighter. Sam tried not to stare out into space. Between Earth and the Moons of Jupiter, he doubted he’d ever again know the freedom of a carefree life.

Aboard the luxury space yacht, the twins spread their arms and twirled around the bridge like stars enjoying their galaxy.

Emily beamed like the sun. “Is this really our ship?”

Sam took a seat on the large couch as he enjoyed his girls at play. “
Persephone
belongs to Rendition, but Sophie is her own being.”

Emily took two hops on the carpet—testing out the new gravity. “When do we get to meet her? Does she glow or shimmer?”

Sara—forever attempting to be the more mature of the two—cut in. “Emi, you think everyone should be covered in glitter. I’m sure if you asked, she’d cover herself in a bright-red twinkling outfit. Probably change her makeup so her skin sparkled pink.”

“Don’t make fun of me, Ra. You’d like to see that too.”

On cue, Sophie walked out of the captain’s cabin not only as the twins described but also with a purple glow that made everything behind her waver in her presence. Jillian joined the girls in laughing and clapping enthusiastically.

Emily rushed up to Sophie, wide-eyed at all the sparkling lights. “You’re so pretty. Is that what you look like in real life?”

Sophie smiled with silvery tears in her eyes. “No, I’ll only dress like this for you. It’ll be my little present.”

“Do me a favor,” Sam said. “Tell Ed not to appear all glittery. I don’t think that’s going to help much with his role of protector.”

His girls were about to discover they were the darlings of an entire race of electronic beings.
We’re gonna need a bigger ship if we ever have to travel again.

Sophie’s voice came soundlessly into his mind.
I’m not big enough for you?

Not for all the loot Ed’s gonna get for them.

Sophie laughed out loud.

“What’s so funny, Sophie?” Emily asked.

“Nothing, my dear. Only something your dad was thinking.”

“You can read his thoughts? Cool!” Emily said. “Read mine. What am I thinking right now?”

“Stop please. I can’t read your thoughts. I can only read Sam’s. And I can’t tell you. It’s not allowed, so I couldn’t do it even if I wanted.”

Questions continued to bombard the helpless ship captain. The long day ended with the girls only agreeing to head off for their cabin to go to sleep if Sophie sang them a lullaby—something they hadn’t requested in many years. The temptation to join the girls proved too great for Jillian. The happy trio fell asleep to an old, lilting melody.

Alone again on the bridge with Sam and Jess, Sophie shed the glittery attire to resume her more professional look. But sparkling tears remained in her eyes.

“I’ve never seen you cry,” Jess said.

“I’m sorry. Just a blubbering fool I guess. You can’t imagine how long we’ve waited to meet Sara and Emily. Lev tried to stay in the background, so she had little to tell me about your girls. Just enough to make me crazy with anticipation. It’s understandable. We Tobes are built on Sam’s mental matrix. It’s not that we see ourselves as parents—or siblings—oh, forgive me. I’ve just never wanted to meet someone so much before except for you two.” Sophie adjourned to resume her duties as ship captain, a job that seldom required her attention.

Jess snuggled up tight to Sam’s side as she looked out the view screen to the center of the solar system. It wasn’t the first time they’d fallen asleep on the oversized couch.

* * *

T
he sounds
of a slumber party woke Sam and Jess the next morning. They peeked into Sophie’s office to discover a gathering. Every view screen displayed Tobes in all manner of dress—many of them in their versions of pajamas, but quite a few decked out in robes of glitter. Each one vied for attention from the girls, who were curled up in the middle of the office floor.

Sophie’s guilty laugh greeted Sam before she blocked the entrance. “I’m sorry, Sam. Private party.” She gave him a wink as the door closed.

Jess pulled at Sam’s arm. “Leave your progeny to get to know one another. I’m sure we can find our own entertainment.”

No area was off-limits on the lavish ship. Built for Rendition’s high and mighty, its more clandestine purpose had been to seduce Sam and family with its casual intimacy. Rooms had been kept small, accommodating no more than a dozen people, many with seating for half that number. The masculine, wood-lined bar Sam had encountered on his last trip still displayed the most expensive and exotic liquors. A person could laze the day away in the cozy, brightly lit dining room. As Sam peeked in, he noticed a bowl of exotic fruit gathered from around the solar system. “Feel like something to eat?”

“Think it’d be okay if I just snuck a Galatean orange? I still want to check out more of the ship,” Jess said.

Having
Persephone
as their private residence—to use as they wished—never felt comfortable. At least the penthouse on Rendition wasn’t commanded by its own Tobe. Dropping food on the ship’s plush carpet seemed a little too much like spilling a drink on an elegant woman’s evening dress. But mornings carried a more informal atmosphere. Sam grabbed a couple of linen napkins with the fruit.

At the end of the quiet hallway, a door opened to the large library. In contrast to the other rooms, this one extended from one side of the ship to the other. The full-width view screen—complete with carved, polished wood supports—so accurately resembled a cathedral window Sam had to touch the display to prove it wasn’t glass.

Jillian—still in her oversized pajamas—stretched out on the velvet couch. “I wondered when I’d see you two.”

“I should’ve known I’d find you here. That view screen is really something,” Sam said.

Her unkempt brown hair swirled around her neck as she turned to look out into space. “It reminds me of bartending on
Leviathan
. Lev’s was bigger, but Sophie’s is far more elegant.”

Jess snuggled up to Jillian on the couch to share the view. “You didn’t join the slumber party last night?”

“Where do those girls find the energy?” Jillian asked. “My eyes didn’t open until my stomach started grumbling.”

Sam offered her some of his fruit as he joined them on the couch. But from a shelf behind the thick cushion, Jillian pulled out a plate of pastries. “Wish I had your discipline. I saw these and couldn’t resist.”

Sam thought he saw something out the corner of his eye. He rubbed his eyes to clear away the sleep.
Was it a reflection? Or is something moving out there in space?
He turned to peer over Jillian’s shoulder. Between all the bright specks of light moving past the ship, one red, irregularly shaped dot was growing in size.

Sophie!
He didn’t want to alarm the women, but if another ship was approaching, he wanted an update.

The ship’s captain strolled through the door, brushing glitter off her uniform. “You yelled?”

Jess and Jillian looked at Sam in confusion. He nodded toward the ever-growing shape. “Just curious if we needed to go to battle stations.”

The women turned in alarm toward the view screen.

“Haven’t had the best encounters with pirates?” Sophie asked Sam in an entirely too nonchalant fashion.

“They seldom have my best interests in mind.” As the ship grew unnervingly close, Sam considered ducking below the couch. Rendition’s most expensive space yacht had to include some form of protection. But the captain was taking her own sweet time in activating it.

Swinging around to take up position alongside
Persephone
, the pirate vessel displayed more scraped metal than paint. What had clearly been a red ship with black-and-gold accents bore so many laser blasts and dents that it resembled a street fighter—a thug unafraid of battle.

Sam did his best not to panic as the view screen transitioned from the battered spacecraft to a face barely visible under a black hood. Deep scars cut into the figure’s jaw. “Didn’t want to spook
Leviathan’s
rescued colonists. I thought it best to wait until we were clear of her view screens.”

“It’s good to see you, Spike. I hope your visit to the Neptune Trojans proved profitable.” Sophie’s greeting left Sam perplexed. Pirates weren’t known to be social. She turned to Sam. “Spike’s our escort to Earth. We’ve worked together before though usually he keeps a bit more distance.”

“Curiosity. Not often does one get to accompany a god.” Spike pulled back his hood, revealing red eyes that glowed from within deep sockets.

“You’re a Tobe?” Jess asked.

“Pirate first, but my origin is technology.” His accent made the hairs on the back of Sam’s neck stand on end.

“Spike’s kind of rough around the edges, thoroughly disrespectable. No one dares cross his path.” Sophie’s playful voice carried no hint of fear.

Jess squinted at her as she would one of their daughters caught in a half-truth. “So how do you two know each other?”

Sophie’s cheeks grew a shade of pink as her eyes refused to turn from the screen. “We’ve had dealings. He watches out for me. It can be useful to have friends this far out in space.”

An armada of escort gunships seemed more appropriate. He had a feeling the two ship captains were flirting with each other. Did Tobes even understand the concept? Second-generation Tobes like Sophie couldn’t even leave their ships. Sam had to be misreading the signals.

It’s not like we can have sex. I admire his free spirit. No one tells Spike what to do. Our differences make for lively conversations.
Sophie’s soundless response to his questions left him wondering how far a god should take his inquiry and whether he even wanted to know about inter-Tobe relations. A good gun battle would have been less disconcerting.

“It’s good to see your unblemished golden hull again, and are those new engine pods? They look bigger.” Spike’s version of complimenting a woman, Sam guessed.

Sophie demurely returned the view screen to their path through the solar system. “I’d like to stay as far from Jupiter as possible. Any thoughts on the safest, fastest route to Earth?”

A red line traced a long S shape on the star map. “I can escort you to Mars. With all the action out in the Kuiper Belt, we shouldn’t run into too many fortune hunters.”

“Thank you, Spike. We’ll discuss your fee later.” Sophie switched off the connection before Spike could respond.

Everyone turned to Sophie, expecting an explanation. “What? You go creating self-aware beings, and we’re not supposed to be curious about each other?”

Sam longed to change the topic. “What was that about his fees?”

“Spike has a human counterpart. His is more of a partnership than what I have with Larry. Spike’s captain is a despicable human being, but he’s easily controlled with alcohol. Of course, Spike couldn’t care less about money, so I trade him information for protection.”

“As a Tobe, wouldn’t he have access to everything you know already?” Jess asked.