Tech Scavengers [Humorous, Action-Packed Space Opera]

Jeridan leaned back in his captain's chair and waited for ZHI to get the message and respond. Nova and Derren/Mason were busy uploading the huge Imperium dataset to MIRI. Aurora, now blind and no longer in control of Poopsie after the combat mech left radio contact, turned to him.

"Shouldn't you go to sick bay and get a checkup?"

"Why?"

"Maybe because you nearly got killed a little while ago and you ignored the medical computer's orders to stay in bed?"

"How did you know … oh, right. No privacy on this ship. Wait, how did you hack into the medical computer?"

"I didn't have to. That slug went right through your body. Obviously, the medical computer ordered you to stay in bed. Duh!"

"What's this duh thing? You never said duh before."

"Maybe it's more applicable than before."

"I don't like it. It's unladylike … " Jeridan grinned at her. "Almost childish."

"Shut up!"

Jeridan laughed, then turned to his control panel.

"MIRI, how's the incorporation of all that jump gate info going?"

"It will take an estimated thirty-seven minutes to analyze. Once I've done my initial assessment, an unknown amount of time will be required to work with Derren and Helen."

Jeridan pursed his lips. Thirty-seven minutes? For an AI as advanced as MIRI? That meant there was some serious data to get through. He hoped the galaxy's current state of technology would be able to handle getting the jump gates back online.

Damn. That was something none of them had ever considered. They had been in such a rush to get this stuff, they hadn't thought through the next step.

"How good is the science team in the League of Concerned Archaeologists?" he asked.

"Top tier," Derren/Mason said.

"I sure hope so."

"I know what you're thinking," the man/boy said. "You're worried this tech will be too complicated for us. It's going to be a challenge, that's for sure, but I've been studying this material all of my adult life."

Jeridan suppressed a shudder. It was creepy to hear a ten-year-old boy say that.

Clearing his throat, Jeridan said, "MIRI, find any gaps in that data?"

"An initial scan shows no gaps or signs of data corruption. I will give a full report once my analysis is complete."

"I didn't sense any gaps either," Helen said. "I've performed a full analysis on the data I stored in my own memory banks and it is completely uncorrupted. I think we've really lucked out this time."

Nova and Helen gave each other a high five. The very human gesture took Jeridan aback, reminding him that Helen wasn't all machine.

Helen turned and focused on him a moment. Jeridan shifted in his seat, feeling those silvery eyes probe him, analyzing facial flushing and breath patterns. It was almost as if she could read his emotions.

"Do you want me to go back to my quarters now?" Helen said.

Jeridan hesitated.

"Negasi, you listening?"

"Of course I am. Everyone listens to everyone else's conversations on this ship. Get with the program."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Very funny. What do you think?"

Pause.

"She's proven she's safe," Negasi said.

Helen's face practically shone with joy.

God, she really is in love with him.

"Um, all right. Welcome to the team, Helen."

"She was always part of the team," Nova growled.

"We decide that," Jeridan snapped. "And don't forget you're only here on sufferance."

Derren/Mason gave him a look that made him feel distinctly uneasy.

Before anyone could say anything more, Poopsie and the android ZHI appeared at a porthole.

ZHI's robotic voice came on over the external comm.

"I am ready for the data burst."

"It's coming over now," Nova said, hitting a button.

"Received. I will consult with ZHI."

The android turned and walked out of view.

"Should I follow?" Aurora asked.

"Um … no. Let them talk it out," Jeridan said.

"All right. I'll stand guard in the corridor."

Poopsie moved away, appearing at another porthole.

"Have you basically volunteered to be our robotic operator?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm sick of not having enough to do around here."

"All right. You're not getting into combat, though."

Aurora crinkled her nose. "I don't want to be in combat. I'll blow away combat mechs if you want, just not anything living."

Good. It would be nice to keep someone innocent around here.

Although considering everything she's been through, innocent might not be the right term.

Hands free of bloodstains? That would be nice.

Jeridan had killed a lot of intelligent lifeforms in his career. While he had never started a fight, and everyone he had killed had it coming, it still didn't sit well. He knew Negasi felt the same.

There followed another wait that was probably not as long as it seemed.

At last, Aurora said, "He's coming back."

The android ZHI appeared in one of the portholes.

"We have analyzed the data you have sent and found no attempt at trickery."

If only me and Negasi had been treated with the same honesty.

Out loud, he said, "I hope you'll help us, then."

"We would like to provide any assistance you require."

"That's great! What do you have in mind?"

"If you provide enough power for the ZHI in the command center to continue operation for the foreseeable future, I volunteer to come with you."

Jeridan sucked in a breath. That was more than he had expected, and opened up a whole bunch of security problems.

"We'll have to discuss this."

"Understood."

He cut off the comm link. ZHI didn't budge.

"What do you think?"

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime!" Derren/Mason said.

"Plus a major security risk."

"In life, ZHI was a jump gate engineer. Imagine what an Imperium jump gate engineer could teach us."

"I get that. But two problems. One, she herself admitted to major file corruption. Two, we don't know her motives."

The man/boy gave him a contemptuous look. "You think an Imperium AI wouldn't want to help save the galaxy? You've been dealing with petty criminals too long. It's made you paranoid."

"Your behavior hasn't exactly helped."

"We've done what we've done to save the galaxy."

Aurora sprang from her chair with a curse and stormed out of the room.

Jeridan glanced at her, then turned back to the split mind facing him.

"If you want to talk about crimes, how about the major felony you're committing right now?"

"It would be a worse crime to let the galaxy be destroyed. Where would Mason be then?"

"You can justify anything with that, can't you?"

The control screen pinged. It was a message from the S'ouzz.

"This isn't productive."

Everyone stared at it a moment, then went back to glaring at each other.

"We need ZHI's help," Derren/Mason said.

"How much help can she be if she can't even remember the first Rimscourge invasion?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Negasi cut in. "It means that we've been lied to way too much and we don't trust you."

"Why would we lie about the invasion? How could we make it up? You've seen the newsvids."

"You may not be lying about this invasion, but I've trawled through every historical record I could find and can't find any mention of an invasion from beyond the rim of the Orion Arm."

"Those individual Rimscourge we had in the biotubes came from a tech scavenge."

Jeridan cocked his head. "You know, in all this craziness I never got around to demanding to see the intel on that. I'd like all the specs."

"And any proof that you got it from a tech scavenge," Negasi added.

"Yeah," Jeridan agreed.

"You'll get it. Now what about ZHI? We need her on board."

"Security," Negasi said.

"What's she going to do?" Derren/Mason asked.

"I have no idea," the gunner replied. "She's probably capable of anything. Look at it from her perspective. The jump gates go down, she runs out of juice, and the next thing she knows she wakes up with a bunch of randos telling her the Imperium has collapsed and there's an invasion on. She might think we're bandits. Hell, she might think we're the same rebels who destroyed the jump gates!"

"We sent her proof. She accepted it as valid," Nova said.

"She might be just saying that to get on board."

"Isolate her like you isolated me," Helen suggested. "She might accept that."

"We'd have to give her access sooner or later, the same as we did with you," Negasi said.

"And your trust in me turned out to be well-founded."

So far. We don't know what happens once we get back to civilization.

Jeridan glanced at the porthole. ZHI stood there like a metallic statue. He chose his next words carefully.

He had to. The fate of the ship, and maybe the galaxy, hung on them.