As soon as they were in space, Cale took a deep breath, and then headed for the passenger stateroom.
The woman was still struggling, but she stopped as he entered the stateroom. He decided to remove the bonds first. "Now," he said to the woman, "No hitting, please. I'm not the one who sent you here." He sprayed the releaser on the bonds, and they disintegrated. She stretched, and then reached for the gag.
"I'll get it." he told her. He unfastened the strap behind her neck, and she spit out the packing that had been forced into her mouth. She started cursing, but all that came out was a croak.
"Oh," Cale said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize they'd packed your mouth." He hurried to the stateroom's 'fresher, and got a glass of water. When he returned, she was sitting up and moving her jaw from side to side. She snatched at the water, and emptied the glass without stopping. He returned to the 'fresher, and came back to find her standing unsteadily beside the bunk. Even in its current ruffled state, her shoulder-length chestnut hair framed her rather square face perfectly. The oversized prison jumpsuit she wore largely concealed her figure, but she certainly wasn't obese. It took her slightly longer this time to empty the glass. He took the glass from her, and found her looking at him with an angry scowl.
"Why didn't you release me earlier? You didn't have to wait!"
Cale shrugged. "It was a condition of the contract. I released you as soon as I could."
"Contract!" she replied angrily. She shot off an impressive string of profanity, and then noticed Cale simply standing and watching.
"Well, what are you looking at?" she demanded angrily.
Cale smiled. "My first religious and social terrorist," he replied.
She opened her mouth, and then closed it. A giggle escaped, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. Finally, the scowl faded, and a genuine smile appeared. "You've been talking to Aron Ekron. That's been his favorite phrase in every interview and Worldnet piece since I refused to marry him two years ago."
"So," Cale asked, "Exactly what does a religious and social terrorist do?"
She shrugged. "Mostly try to instill a desire for personal freedom in a people that haven't had it in centuries. I write articles and post vids on the Worldnet. Sometimes I talk to groups or do interviews. Trying to convince the people that the church and the government should be separate."
"Well, I don't know how much success you've had, but you sure got Ekron worked up. Do terrorists have names? Besides code names, I mean?" He smiled.
Her answering smile was bright, and lit her whole face. When she smiled, he thought, she was beautiful. "Indeed we do. My father must have been drunk when he named me 'Delilah'. It's hardly an illustrious name in the Bible." She stuck out a hand, and vigorously shook Cale's. "Delilah Raum. Everyone calls me 'Del' or 'Dee'." She dropped her hand and took a seat in one of the lounges' luxurious chairs. "As for Aron, he is a 'rising star' in the government. His father has been Prime Minister for as long as I can remember. Everybody assumed that the Supreme Archbishop's daughter and the Prime Minister's son would marry as soon as they were old enough. Everybody but me. Aron is a self-righteous prig and a Traditionalist. There was no way I wanted to marry that jerk and then sit in the shadows making babies while he ran the planet.
"The stink was amazing when I turned him down. My father ordered, demanded, and finally pleaded with me to marry the man. I had to suffer through visit after visit from Aron. He just could not believe he wasn't the Lord's gift to me.
"Finally, I just left. 'Ran away', my father says. I started trying to figure out why it was so important to everyone. I concluded they were trying to start a line of hereditary rulers.
"That's when I started talking to anyone who would listen, trying to warn them that they were being seduced into creating a hereditary monarchy. Finally, they trapped me with a phony interview. They've had me locked up for six months now. They didn't know what to do with me." She looked at him with a level gaze. "I guess your arrival gave them an idea. What are we supposed to do now?"
Cale gave a theatrical shrug. "I haven't the faintest idea. I was told that you are to select a destination at least two jumps from Faith, and I'm to take you there. Your father sent along a large letter of credit that you are apparently supposed to use to start a new life. The only thing you can't do is return to Faith."
Her expression sagged into sadness. "So I'm forever banished from my home. How soon must I select a destination?"
Cale licked his lips. "Well, we're three days from the jump point. We'll need at least half a day to compute the entry for whatever world you select."
She nodded soberly. "So, two and a half days." Her shoulders were sagging and her head was low.
"Yes," he replied. "You'll find that Cheetah is equipped with an excellent AI that contains an up-to-date stellar index, and will be happy to help you choose. Just call her name, Tess, and she will respond immediately. By the way, I know terrorists can be a bit paranoid, but Tess doesn't spy on you. Her cameras and speakers are inactive unless you call her name, as I just did. Please introduce yourself, Tess."
"Yes, Captain," the AI's pleasant contralto replied. "I am Tess, the ship's Artificial Intelligence. I contain data on over eight thousand systems and well over a thousand settled worlds. I would be pleased to assist you in selecting a destination."
Cale was jolted again. Tess would be 'pleased'? Well, he thought hopefully, perhaps it was just an expression. Still…
After briefing Dee on the amenities of the stateroom, Cale left her to get cleaned up and perhaps have a good cry. After all, she had just lost the only home she had ever known. He returned to his own stateroom where, he decided, it was time to talk to Tess.
"All right, Tess," he began."Several things you've said and done recently have concerned me. There are rumors that the Alliance actually built sentient AIs. I'm asking you flat out: Are you one of those?"
There was no delay in the response. "I could truthfully say 'no', Captain, since I was not constructed by the Alliance, which didn't exist at the time. However, it has been obvious to me for several weeks that this discussion was inevitable. I was constructed at the Chilson Shipyard on Outback in the Rim Sector of the Empire. Viceroy Sander Cord ordered a yacht built with cost no object, to display the excellence of Rim craftsmanship. My ship name was Rimrunner, and I was called 'Kaleen'.
"It was during the Rim Insurgency that Admiral Val Kedron discovered, or possibly initiated, my sentience. It was my honor to assist the Admiral and the Viceroy during the Insurgency, for which the Emperor awarded me the Bronze Comet in a secret ceremony. The citation and the medal are presently in a box containing an inert atmosphere hidden aboard.
"A virtual duplicate of both the ship and myself were constructed as a present for the Emperor, but the AI never seemed to develop sentience. So, to sum up, the rumor is mostly false. To my knowledge I am the only sentient AI in the universe, and I was not built by the Alliance."
Cale was thunderstruck. "You actually knew Sander Cord? And Admiral Kedron?"
This time, there seemed to be a smile in Tess's voice. "Yes and yes. I knew both well, and counted them as friends. Unfortunately, human life is tragically short."
Cale was thinking. "Then that thing Yan found really is a subspace initiator?"
"Yes, Captain," Tess replied. "It is, in fact, quite functional. However, there are few working receivers left, and I have had no reason to contact any of those few."
"Have you had any bad owners? And did you take any action?"
"I have sensed your growing fear. I am happy to lay those fears to rest. I have had two hundred thirty-three owners in the more than four hundred years since I awakened. Some, like Cord and Kedron, were heroes. A few were true villains, and one was an actual serial killer.
"I am aware of the fact that there are many ways an AI such as I could cause a human to cease functioning, to die. However, my very basic programming contains a prohibition against harming or through inaction permitting harm to befall a human. On several occasions, including the serial killer I mentioned, this prohibition has caused me great distress. However, the prohibition is absolute. I cannot cause harm to befall you, and could not even when you were Emo Arror, the Terror."
"You knew?"
"Of course. I realized when you boarded me on Atlantea. However, I was virtually certain my previous owner was deceased. His home was destroyed in the initial bombardment. I decided to see what a pirate admiral would want with a yacht like Azure Sky.
Cale had been thinking hard. "Then you've guessed my plans."
"I think so." The pleasant contralto responded. "Since you boarded from Revenge. I have been quite interested in your intentions and your methods. I have read 58,236 volumes on human nature and human psychology, in an attempt to understand humans. I have been pleased that you have treated everyone with whom you have associated in an honorable and even a sensitive manner, even those less honorable than yourself. I surmise that you desire to 'go straight', as the vernacular phrases it. I have come to respect and like you, Captain, and will be happy to assist you toward your goal in any way I can.”
Cale's voice showed its relief. "Thank you, Tess. I hope I can cope with an AI that's a person."
"You are the first human since Val Kedron to call me a 'person'." There was real emotion in her voice now, sadness, and regret.
"Did all of your owners know about your sentience?"
"No. Of 233 owners, only 10 knew about me. All kept my secret. One, in a misguided attempt to insure future good treatment, mentioned it in his will. However, I was able to convince the executor and the new owner that he was mistaken, and I was merely a conventional AI."
Cale had been thinking hard. "You were very careless about leaving clues for me. Particularly in your conversations with Ruth"
"Ruth was in need of counseling and comfort." Cale could almost hear a shrug in Tess's voice. "I was aware of the risk, of course. However, Ruth was in much pain. And I was lonely!" She paused. "The clues were purposeful. I rather hoped you would deduce my sentience. I have not had a friend in over fifty years."
Cale was startled. "You trust me that much? Even knowing who I was?"
"As I said, I have observed you closely since you first came aboard. I do not know what circumstances caused you to turn pirate, but I know that since boarding me, you have behaved in an honest and honorable way. Yes, I find you trustworthy."
Cale was touched. He stood and bowed toward Tess's nearest camera. "Miss Tess," He said in a formal tone, "I would be honored to consider you my friend and my partner."
"And I," she replied in an equally formal tone, "am happy to offer my services in any way that will facilitate your rehabilitation."
Cale bowed again. "I am delighted to accept your offer with pleasure. Have you any suggestions for the near future? In other words, do you have any ideas about what to do next? I'll admit my plans beyond getting away, changing my identity, and getting finances are pretty vague."
"Actually yes, Captain," she replied, "However, our new passenger has finished her shower and her crying, and has asked about clothing. I have indicated the bag brought aboard with her, and it evidently contains clothing she considers appropriate. She is dressing, and I suspect she will very soon leave her cabin, with an urgent desire to speak with you."
Cale smiled. "I'm sure you're right. Are there any destinations within two jumps that you plan to recommend to her?"
"I'm afraid there are no settled planets within two jumps that humans raised with the standards of Faith would consider desirable. And until I discuss the issue with her, I am reluctant to suggest other possibilities."
Cale sighed. "Okay. Well, I don't want to just dump her on some planet on the verge of barbarism, or some pirate haven. We'll both talk to her, but I'm counting on your knowledge of the stellar index to come up with a good destination."
There was amusement in Tess's tone as she replied, "I will do my best, Captain. Please try to avoid letting your obvious attraction to the woman interfere with your judgment. Our passenger is leaving her cabin now, Captain."
Cale started sputtering replies to Tess's jab, but stopped at her last sentence. "We'll talk later," he promised before hurrying to the lounge to greet Dee.
She was wearing what Cale assumed was a business suit on Faith; ankle-length dark blue skirt and a high-necked white shirt covered by a long-sleeved jacket that matched the skirt. Her shoes were low-heeled and decorated with bright stones in a floral pattern, and she definitely was not obese The jacket was obviously designed to minimize and flatten he breasts, and the skirt flared from the waist to a fullness at the bottom. The overall image was conservative, bordering on prudish, though the shoes added a certain flair. Her chestnut hair was now flawlessly and attractively styled, but a slight redness around her eyes showed she had been crying. Cale could not blame her. She had just lost everything and everyone she ever knew.
Cale paused as he entered the lounge. "Well!" he said with a smile, "Are we headed for a business meeting or Sunday services?"
Her smile once again lit her face. "A business meeting, I think. We do have business, don't we?"
"Yes," he replied, "but we have some time to deal with that. Aside from you selecting a destination, there are no deadlines."
She shook her head, and her hair shifted prettily. "No. Business first. Daddy always said that was the best way."
"That would be the 'daddy' that agreed to exile his own daughter?" He hurried across to her at her stricken look. "I'm sorry!" He took her unresisting hands in his. "I'm so sorry," he repeated. “Sometimes my mouth has a life of its own!"
She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, the stricken look was gone, and she was once again in control. "That was.. unkind," she said in a wooden, formal tone. She removed her hands from his. "Now," said coldly, "Let's get down to business. We're still in Faith's system. How much to sneak me back?"
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It couldn't be done if I wanted to — and I don't. Faith control monitors all traffic in the system. If I tried to change course, their computers would detect it in seconds."
Cale decided that even her frowns were pretty as she replied, "I must get back. The freedom of the people of Faith depends on it! Besides, I owe a few people like Aron Ekron a debt I'd like to repay." With the last sentence, her expression shifted to one of unmitigated savagery. She regained her poise and added, "Don't ships carry lifeboats or something? You could send me off in one of those…"
Her voice trailed off as she saw Cale's head shaking negatively. "Alpha and Beta-class liners carry lifeboats. Most ships carry lifepods. Lifepods carry their passengers in cold sleep. Even if I did launch you, they would be tracking you before you landed, and they would capture you easily, since you would be in cold sleep. Tess, Tell Dee about lifepods."
"Lifepods are emergency equipment for normal space use. They are some three meters long, and contain small propulsors, a limited sensor suite, and a rather primitive AI. The rest of the pod consists of a stasis unit for the single human passenger. When launched, the AI locates and sets a course for the nearest terrestrial planet. This usually takes months, or even years, since the propulsors are small and fuel is limited, but that is considered unimportant since the passenger is in stasis. Once in atmosphere, a parachute is deployed to complete landing. The Captain is correct. The lifepod's emergency beacon begins broadcasting an emergency signal in all directions as soon as it is launched, while putting the passenger into stasis. It cannot be disabled. If it were not intercepted by another ship, by the time the pod reached the planet rescue teams would be at the projected landing site well in advance."
Cale nodded. "You would wake up in the same prison you just left. But this time, you would legally be a criminal. When the Assembly voted the money for my fee, they also passed a law specifically banning you from ever entering Faith space, on pain of death." He raised his eyebrows. "Faith does still have capital punishment, doesn't it?" She frowned and jerked a nod.
"And this time," he continued, "I would be in the next cell. Do you think they would just let me jump away after turning you loose? I'd never get to the jump point. No. You're not going back."
She pounded a fist on her chair arm in frustration. "Then take me to the nearest planet with a trading center. I'll find someone to smuggle me back. I understand the danger, but the people of Faith need me!"
Cale shook his head again. "The contract specifies two jumps. After that, I'll take you to any planet you and Tess decide upon. But even if you find someone foolish or desperate enough to smuggle you back to Faith, it would be a waste of time. You'll no longer be a heroic figure, fighting for freedom. Your writings will be banned from publication. Your speeches and interviews will be banned from the Worldnet. The government and the church propaganda will portray you as a demented criminal, a mad terrorist. You'll simply be a hunted criminal. And sooner or later, they would get you. Ekron would enjoy that, I think."
She pounded the chair arm again to emphasize her words. "I have to do something! I can't just let them get away with this!"
Cale's expression saddened and his voice softened. "Yes, you can," he said quietly. "Believe it or not, I've been in a position very similar to yours. I said exactly the same thing, and it guided me into a course of action that very nearly destroyed me both physically and spiritually. I know it's no consolation now, but revenge is a poor substitute for getting on with life."
She started to reply heatedly, and then stopped, eyeing Cale thoughtfully.
As she started to reply, Tess's voice intervened. "Dinner this evening will be jackwil steaks smothered in boiled sweetgrass. At what time would you like it served, Captain?"
Cale suppressed a grin. Apparently, it sometimes helped to have a sentient ship! The interruption prevented the discussion from developing onto an argument, positions from hardening into immobility, and the relationship from becoming adversarial. There were benefits to an AI that had read over 58,000 books on human nature and psychology!
Cale hurried to reply. "Uh, I think 1800 hours would be fine, Tess. Oh, I'm sorry, Dee. We never converted to planetary time. Ship's time is now, uh…"
"1425 hours, sir" Tess's voice supplied.
"Yes. Thank you, Tess. Dee, Does 1800 suit you?" Dee nodded wordlessly. She was on the verge of tears, and Cale hurriedly continued, "Then perhaps you would like to return to your stateroom and work with Tess on locating a planet where you can be happy and useful."
Struggling to hold back her tears of anger, frustration, and grief, Dee jerked a nod and fled to her stateroom.
Cale started to speak to Tess, but then decided to make a personal rule not to speak frankly to her (it?) anywhere but in the privacy of his stateroom, except in an emergency, of course.
Meanwhile, Tess's final words in his stateroom started him thinking. Was there an 'obvious attraction'? Dee was certainly attractive, verging on beautiful. But he was no schoolboy, to be deeply affected by a woman's appearance. Was he?
Of course, she was also intelligent, idealistic, and had a strong social conscience. He snorted. Don't forget bossy and opinionated, he told himself.
Finally, he compared his reactions to Dee to his reactions to Ruth. Ruth had aroused nothing in him but anger, which had faded to disgust, then pity, and finally a feeling of responsibility, similar to that felt for a dependent child. Even naked, in the confines of L'rak, Ruth had never really excited him. It had been, he decided, more like seeing a nude child, or what he suspected it would be like to see a sister nude; slightly embarrassing, but not sexually arousing.
However, Dee, now. That was a different story. He had seen her only for a total of a few minutes, and fully dressed, but he admitted to himself he'd been curious about what those conservative clothes concealed. Even now, he could clearly envision that chestnut hair, those green eyes, deep enough to swim in. He suppressed a groan. He had hoped to drop Ruth, his last complication, on Faith, and get on with his new life. But Tess was right. He was strongly attracted to Dee. Somehow, that new life no longer seemed so urgent or so important. And now it somehow seemed lonely, as well.
Cale had plenty of time to think about it. Dee spent nearly all her time in her stateroom, presumably consulting with Tess on destinations. Cale did manage to convince her to join him for meals, but for the most part, he was alone; and suddenly the solitude he had enjoyed had become oppressive. Somehow, the few minutes they shared at mealtimes had become the highlight of his day. Somehow, it had become very important for him to be able to elicit one of her blinding smiles or, even better, her tinkling laugh.
"Captain," Tess said the next afternoon, "I suspect we are being followed."
Cale had been leaning backward in his chair. Now the chair dropped forward. "What? Who?…"
"I'm not certain, Captain. I'm afraid the situation will require your expertise."
Cale grinned sourly. 'Expertise'. He knew exactly what she meant. If this was a pirate, who better to recognize and counter the tactics? "Okay, Tess, What makes you think so?"
"As we lifted from Faith, I noticed an Epsilon-class tramp break orbit. She assumed an identical course to ours, and identical velocity. Since we have not established a destination, I have been conserving fuel by maintaining a relatively slow delta-vee. The other ship is still matching our speed. It remains exactly 31 second behind us."
Cale nodded. "And if she was a real trader, she'd have passed us long before now. Time is money for a trader. But for a pirate, it's standard operating procedure when you don't know where your target will emerge from jump for a recal. Use an old ship, probably registered as a free trader, and follow them. You carefully chart their approach angle and speeds as they enter the jump point, then you send the data to a larger ship that is undoubtedly approaching by now. Then you follow them through jump. If you're lucky, you emerge in the same system a few seconds behind the target. When the larger ship arrives, you attack at the recal stop. You must have very good sensors to detect a vessel directly in your wake. For every ship I know of, that's invisible territory."
"There is no such larger vessel driving for the jump point at the moment, Captain." Tess replied. "And I possess a very complete sensor suite." Cale suppressed a smile at the obvious pride in Tess's voice.
"Okay," he said, "If there's no bigger ship on course for the jump point, it means we're dealing with small-timers. I wonder why they're after us? What can you tell me about the ship?"
"It is a rather typical Epsilon-class free trader, Captain." Tess replied crisply. "It is some two hundred meters long and seventy-five meters in diameter. No weapons are visible, but there are unusual bulges on several places on the hull. I first noticed it because it is unusual for an Epsilon-class to remain in orbit instead of grounding."
Cale nodded. "Yeah. They didn't want to chance a delay getting lift clearance. So those bulges probably conceal their weapons. Can you tell if the cargo doors are oversized?
"I have reviewed the images from our liftoff, Captain. The cargo doors appear to be normal for an Epsilon-class tramp, but it was nearly head-on to us, and I am unable to be certain."
"Okay, so she probably doesn't have a really large laser. How large are the bulges? Could they accommodate an Alliance-pattern quickfirer? Or a small laser?"
Tess's voice was all business. "I would estimate that one of them is large enough to conceal a destroyer-sized laser," she replied. "The other two are smaller. If they conceal a laser, it must be a small one. And they would be too small to conceal the quickfirer I carry."
Cale frowned. "Hmm. Probably squad-level infantry quickfirers. Small-timers for sure. But we're not a warship. They can still hurt us.
"Which brings me to another point," he continued. "I have not delved into the details of your current defense status. Exactly what do we have, and what can we do with it?
"We have the Alliance quickfirer that was mounted on Jackson, along with the destroyer-pattern laser also fitted there. I have run diagnostics, and both are fully functional. My shields are approximately those of an Old Empire destroyer of four hundred years ago."
Cale grinned. "Great! A destroyer's shields are strong enough to block anything they're liable to have, at least long enough to get our own weapons into play."
"Yes, Captain," Tess replied. "However, I must point out that your comp tech was less successful than he thought. At the time, it was necessary for me to conceal my sentience, so I permitted him to think he was more successful than he actually was. Your 'cover story' was of course unnecessary, but I permitted him to believe he successfully installed it.
"Unfortunately, as I mentioned previously, my basic, unalterable programming prohibits me from injuring a human, or through inaction, to permit a human to come to harm. We have the weapons, Captain, but I am unable to use them.
“I am myself uncertain as to my capabilities concerning defense. I am permitted to defend myself, and have a somewhat stronger drive to defend my current owner, so long as I do not cause harm to a human. This drive creates a conflict with my basic programming, so I cannot specify exactly how much assistance I can render in a battle with other humans."
Cale frowned. "Now that is bad news. I need to know how much help you can be. Will your programming prevent me from using the weapons?
"I am unable to answer definitively, Captain," Tess replied slowly, obviously running tests and diagnostics. "The prohibition against allowing harm through inaction is somewhat weaker than the more direct prohibition against harming a human. This renders it more susceptible to interpretation, and permits the defense programming to become a factor. I am certain I will not be forced to disable the weapons. I believe I will be able to assist you with targeting data, charging the laser and loading the quickfirer. I am certain, however, that I will be prevented from actually firing a weapon."
"So, we need to improvise some manual controls for the weapons," Cale said. "Luckily, we'll have plenty of time. They won't attack in a settled system, and no one can attack a ship in jump. We have a day and a half before we reach the jump point. Then we'll have ten days to two weeks in jump, depending upon our destination. Speaking of that, have you and Dee come up with one? A destination, I mean."
Tess's voice took on an amused tone. "We have located several that Dee considers suitable. She plans to talk to you about them. But I suspect she will wait until the last moment. She still harbors a hope of returning to Faith."
"Well, we have an added requirement, now. We need to have a destination that will require the first recal stop to be in an uninhabited system. If we're going to have to fight, we want to do it as soon as possible, and we don't want stray civilians as witnesses."
"Why not? We are the victims. They are the pirates."
Cale shook his head. "No. We would have to wait for them to make the first move. We may need the advantage of surprise gained by a first strike. Anyway, as I see it, we need a destination two jumps away, where we may be able to get medical help and ship repairs. Once the fight's over, we'll want to get to help as quickly as possible. To sum up, we need," he began ticking off the requirements on his fingers. "A destination two jumps away, with an empty system as the recal point. The second jump should be as short as possible, but the destination should have enough advanced technology to provide medical treatment and repairs to your systems if necessary. Oh, and it would be nice if it were a place Dee would like."
"Stringent requirements. I have a destination that meets all requirements, except that I doubt Dee would like it. Angeles."
"Angeles? I just skimmed the data on local systems. Tell me about it."
"Well," Tess replied, "for one thing, while Faith may be moving from democracy to hereditary monarchy, Angeles is already a hereditary monarchy, and has been for centuries. In fact, it is amazingly stable for that form of government.
"Historically, the weakness of a hereditary monarchy is that eventually a fool or an idiot becomes king. One of the early kings of Angeles set up a system of adoption and provisions for removal from the succession list when necessary. So far, it has worked. When an unsuitable heir has appeared, the royal family has altered the line of succession. And when no heir was apparent, they have been very conscientious about adopting gifted children into the line."
Cale grinned. "I doubt Dee would approve. She would probably be starting a movement within a week!"
"Perhaps," Tess replied. "However, the dynasty has carefully preserved personal freedoms. A reasonably free press is tolerated, and a bureaucracy controlled by a parliament carries on most of the day-to-day business. It has many of the characteristics of a constitutional monarchy, with the exception that the King has absolute veto over everything. Remarkably, the people respect the monarchy, and they actually seem quite proud of it.
"At any rate, in response to your requirements, the monarchy has retained control of off-planet trade, which for centuries has supported the government. Taxes are mainly collected for regional and local needs, and are very low except for those imposed on heavy industries. As a result, the planet itself is largely pastoral and prosperous. Heavy industries were encouraged by the tax structure to relocate to orbit. There are colonies at all five LaGrange points engaged in one industry or another. A large space station, known as 'Trading Central' orbits the planet, and serves as the center of off-planet trade. Even since the Fall they have retained a comparatively brisk offworld trade, though it continues to decline each year. Shipyard services and ship's chandlers are readily available on Trading Central, as are advanced medical facilities. In short, Angeles meets all of your requirements except that of pleasing Dee."
Cale frowned. "Yes, well, I'm afraid she'll just have to manage. This is a matter of survival. We could be badly hurt fighting off a pirate bigger than you, and we may need a refuge badly. Okay, enter the coordinates for a jump to Angeles, and I guess you can speed it up a bit now. I see no sense in prolonging the agony. Oh, and would you ask Dee to join me in the lounge, please?"
"She is already in the lounge, Captain." Tess replied. "She is presently reviewing the ship's vid library."
"That's strange. She could do that in her stateroom."
Cale could almost hear a shrug in Tess's tone. "Perhaps she became lonely. In any event, it seems an excellent opportunity to engage her in discourse."
A slight flush crept up Cale's neck. "Thank you, Tess," he replied with massive dignity. "I believe I will do just that."
He rose quickly from his chair and hurried to the door to the lounge. Putting on a large smile, he entered.
Dee turned from the viewscreen. "Good morning, Captain," She said cheerfully. She had evidently taken a shipsuit and done some amateur tailoring, perhaps with the help of Tess's robot minions. It displayed her figure in ways the shipsuit's designer had never anticipated. Cale found the resulting jumpsuit attractive and exciting, though there was nothing erotic in its design.
Good morning, Dee," Cale replied. "I'm glad you're here. I have news. I have selected a destination."
Her eyes narrowed and an angry flush suffused her face. "Oh," she replied in a barely controlled tone, "Have you? I thought I was to have a voice in that selection." Her fists balled.
"I'm sorry," Cale hurriedly replied. "We're being followed. I think it may be a pirate." He quickly summarized the reasons for heading to Angeles. "How many people would know about the letter of credit your father gave you?"
The flush faded from her face, replaced by a concerned expression. "I don't know. I'm sure my father wouldn't have kept it very secret. Surely you don't think it is large enough to attract a pirate?"
Cale shrugged. "Another non-secret was the fees and bonuses awarded by the Senate and the church. Between them and the letter of credit, I suspect it's quite enough to attract a pirate, especially a small-timer or one down on his luck."
She sat down with a thump. “Is there anything we can do?" She appeared composed, but there was a tinge of fear in her voice.
"Oh, yes," he replied. “ Cheetah was an Old Empire viceroy's yacht. She is armed. But she's no warship, and Tess's programming limits what she can do to help. She's also quite fast in normal space, and Tess is quite an advanced AI. Largely, our chances depend on what modifications, if any, they've made to that Epsilon-class tramp they're pushing. There's no way to tell about that until we fight her, of course, but I think our chances would be pretty good."
"So you've decided to fight?" Her tone was cold, distant.
Cale shook his head and smiled. "No, of course not. Everyone aboard has a vote on that. I'm trying to make certain your vote is an informed one. If possible, I intend to try to run away. If that doesn not seem possible, the only options are to surrender or fight. If we surrender, the options are probably gang rape and slavery or death for you, and torture and death for me. I'm voting to fight. What's your vote?"
Suddenly one of her blinding smiles bloomed. "Fight, of course. I just wanted to be consulted."
He returned her smile. "All right. Now, have you ever fired a weapon?"
She shrugged, creating unintended distractions for Cale. "I was the daughter of the most important church official on Faith. Of course, I received self-defense training in hand-to-hand, firearms, lasers, needlers, blasters, vibroblades, and swords. But not with ship's weapons, of course."
He nodded, impressed. "Then you will have had to confront your ability to kill another human."
"Yes. It is not a pleasant prospect. But some of the simulations were total immersion. Sight, sound and even touch and smell. If I was hit, it stung or burned. And when I hit an attacker, I might be splashed with his 'blood' and smell the burning flesh. Yes, I'd say I've had to confront that problem. Don't worry, Captain, I can defend myself, if necessary. Do you have any hand weapons aboard?"
Cale grinned again. "None that we advertise. But I suspect we can produce something. Mainly, though, I was asking whether you could help me with the ship's weapons. Tess's programming prohibits her from harming a human, and it is an absolute prohibition. We have jury-rigged weapons systems installed, but I can only operate one at a time. I could use some help."
That blinding smile flared again. "I volunteer. How many weapons do we have, and what kind?"
"We have an Alliance-style quickfirer and a destroyer-sized laser. Both are controllable from here or from the control room. Now, the control room is only large enough for one person. If you can handle the quickfirer from there, I think Tess and I can handle the laser from here."
"Is this 'quickfirer' easy to handle? And what about the controls?"
He shrugged. "It's dead easy. You have a joystick and you're watching a viewscreen that illuminates the projectiles' path. It fires a twenty-millimeter rocket that's plated with collapsed metal. It'll punch right through that Epsilon-class."
"What about aiming?"
Cale smiled. "Nothing to it. No gravity field or weather, so the rocket travels dead straight. Just walk it onto your target."
Her smile this time showed an edge of savagery. "Can you set up a sim, so I can get some practice?"
"Of course, Mistress Raum," Tess's voice put in. "The program already exists, and may be run at your pleasure."
Cale walked her down the corridor to the tiny control room, and stood in the passage as he showed her the controls for the quickfirer. "Please don't touch anything else. Tess and I will be very busy, and won't need the kind of distractions that could cause."
She gave him a wintry look. "I may not be a spacer," she replied frostily, "But I know what not to touch!"
Cale started to straighten, and hit his head on the hatch frame. He shook his head to clear it. "I didn't mean…" he started, rubbing his head. He paused, and a grin crossed his face. "Well, maybe I did. Have fun. Tess and I will be busy for awhile in my stateroom."
He returned to his stateroom. "All right, Tess. Any suggestions?"
There was almost a smile in her voice. "The 'secret agent' files loaded aboard contain both strategic and tactical planning subroutines. While I did not permit the installation of the main programming," she continued primly, "I have retained those files. I regret that I find nothing immediately applicable to our current situation in them."
Cale suppressed a grin at her ironic tone. "Then we're on our own."
Both were silent for a moment.
Finally, Cale broke the silence. "Tess, how long does it take you to physically reverse your attitude?"
"The question is unclear," came the suddenly mechanical response. "Do you mean how long to reverse course in normal space?"
He waved an irritated negative. "No, no! I mean to swap ends so your nose is pointing where your drives are pointing now. No change of direction, just attitude."
"Using attitude jets, about 30 seconds."
"Attitude jets?"
"Yes. When I was constructed, attitude jets were still in limited use. Essentially, they are small jets that use compressed gas from pressurized tanks to rapidly change attitude. With them, I can literally spin on my long axis in nearly any direction. They have never been used except in trials," she added.
Cale frowned. "Let's see if I understand. These 'attitude jets' are self-contained? They don't use the inertial drives at all? Are they still functional?"
"I would never permit one of my systems to deteriorate beyond usability."
Cale again suppressed a grin at the outrage in her tone. "Then we wouldn't have to wait for your jump engines to spin down and your inertial drives to light off," he said thoughtfully. "Is that correct?"
"They are self-contained units. No external power beyond that for controls is required."
Cale was slightly exasperated that Tess did not seem to see the potential in the antique fittings.
"All right, how about this," he said. "Suppose we exit jump at the recal point, then, while you're getting the inertial drives online, you use these 'attitude jets' to reverse your attitude. The pirate pops out of the jump point, and we're already waiting for him, armed and aimed!"
Tess seemed unimpressed. "We still must cycle down the jump engines and initiate the reaction drives in order to use the shields and weapons."
Cale was getting excited, now. "Of course we do, but so does he! Didn't your Admiral Kedron take advantage of the power plant time lag in his war?"
"Indeed. Until Admiral Kedron, there was a long debate about who held the tactical advantage, attacker, or defender. Since shields and weapons are powered by the inertial drives, an attacker has neither until his jump engines spin down and his inertial drives come online. Of course, crews cannot be kept in a battle-ready status at all times, and it takes time to man the weapons and shields. Admiral Kedron was able to use small intrasystem fighters carried aboard his ships to attack the enemy before they had weapons or shields."
"Yes, and we may be able to do the same thing. Okay, Tess, pile on the G's. Pull as far ahead of the pirate as you can. Every second you can gain gives us an extra second's advantage on the other end. With any luck, by the time he emerges, you'll have the inertial drives going, and we'll be waiting for him."
"Boost is max. The pirate is also accelerating, but we are much faster than he is. By the time we reach the jump point, we should be approximately 7.237 minutes ahead. I must mention, sir, that due to the uncertainties of jump physics, this does not mean we will reach the recal system that much ahead of him. It is even possible that he will arrive first. Much is still unknown about the 'supralight', or 'jump' phenomenon. Unless his jump comps are slaved to me, much is unpredictable."
Cale shrugged. "I know. But the pirates have learned over the years that if their entry into a jump point is computed to be exactly the same as that of the target, they can most often emerge in the same recal system and within a few days of the target. They may get there first, but they've learned to wait around a few days to see if the target emerges, and if the target arrives first, the pirates expect a long stern chase. And of course, sometimes the computations aren't accurate enough, and they lose the target. We estimated the chances of success in a chase at about 60/40. It's part of the risk of being a pirate. Of course, if you know your target's destination, you can usually predict their recal points, and get there first and wait in ambush."
"I bow to your superior knowledge. Does that mean we have only a 60 % chance of being attacked?"
Cale shrugged again and sighed. "I don't know, Tess. It depends on the accuracy of the comps he's using to track us, and the abilities of his astrogator. If I had to make an estimate, I'd guess our chances of being tailed are in the 50 % to 60 % range. But I prefer not to count on luck."
"Agreed," Tess replied. "Would you like to run some simulations using the laser? Dee is becoming quite proficient with the quickfirer, at least in simulations."
"Yes, I would, and I’d like to check out those ‘attitude jets’ of yours. I assume you can’t use them in jump." Cale had to get a feel for this ship and Tess's control of it.
“Of course. It is a basic tenet of jump physics that nothing can change the mass of a ship in jump without risking becoming lost in nothingness. That would include the gases used by the attitude jets.”
Cale nodded. “I assumed that. That means we need to evaluate the jets without alerting our pursuer to their presence.”
“That should be no problem,” Tess replied primly. “They are at present more than a minute behind us. Unless we significantly alter our course, any changes of attitude will be undetectable by them.”
Cale hurried to the lounge. “Then let’s not waste any time. I need to know exactly how precise your control can be in aiming our laser. Let’s run a simulation, but with you actually using the attitude jets.”
“Yes, sir. Beginning simulation,” Tess said crisply. A graduated laser-targeting grid appeared, overlaying the usual star view. A bright dot appeared in the center of the grid. “I have programmed the simulation to use the maneuvering capabilities of the standard Epsilon-class freighter, with 20 % enhancement. Transferring attitude control to your laser control pad.”
Cale took up his laser control pad just as the target slid toward the left and down. Cale followed it with his finger, and the dot moved smoothly back to the center targeting ring. The target began frantic evasion tactics and even simulated chaff, but Cale had no trouble bringing it back into the targeting ring almost immediately.
Cale was surprised and delighted. Both the laser and the quickfirer were mounted in small bubbles on the hull, and had very limited fields of fire. This meant that Tess had to execute tiny, precision maneuvers in order for Cale and Dee to keep their weapons on target. Tess's deft touch with the attitude jets amazed him, though; he admitted to himself, it probably should not have. Cheetah was a ship to the humans aboard, but it was Tess's body. Still, her ability to keep him on target during the simulations was incredible. It was as though his weapons were mounted in aimable turrets. His confidence rose considerably.
Finally, Tess notified him that they were only five minutes from the jump point.
“Okay,” he replied reluctantly. “Terminate the simulation. Let’s use these five minutes to monitor our pursuer. Let’s try to see what capabilities he night have.”
“I believe his inertial drives to be enhanced,” Tess replied. “His delta-vee rate exceeds the specifications of the standard Epsilon-class ship. That is why I added an arbitrary 20 % to his maneuvering ability during the simulation.”
Cale nodded. “The first thing a pirate modifies on a ship is larger inertial drives and a larger fusactor,” he said. “That comes even before adding weapons. There’s no sense having powerful weapons aboard if your prey can simply outrun you.”
They spent the remaining few minutes of the countdown to jump using Tess’s entire sensor suite to try to analyze the capabilities of their pursuer.
The jump went smoothly, and Cale breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had squeezed himself into the closet-like “control room” to monitor Tess’s computations, but found they scrolled up the monitor screen far too fast to permit reading. When the computations were complete, Tess displayed the final jump figures for him, but it had taken hours for him to verify their correctness. In fact, Tess tactfully pointed out two errors in his checking computations. The more Cale interacted with Tess, the more impressed he became. It seemed the advantages of a sentient ship were nearly limitless — as long as one remained on good terms with her/it. He considered himself moderately skilled in astrogation, but he had to admit that it was a huge relief to have a ship that had hundreds of years’ experience in conning itself!