Lines Crossed Chapter Nine
GRID Traveler Trinity: Lines Crossed
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Collins and Loggar had been reviewing Sean’s last set of tests. Toward the end of the test Sean had been able to control the nanobots with expert precision. He was able to direct legions of them to multiple energy sources simultaneously.
“Fascinating.” Collins said. She was looking at a nanobot under an electronic microscope. “The nanobot’s body structure is like that of a living creature. If I didn’t know better I’d say these things were alive.”
Loggar nodded. “Precisely. I hate to admit this, but we don’t have the technology to create anything near as complex and capable.”
“The Stupinans?” Collins answered.
“Exactly, and that is probably as far as we’ll get in the next few decades. We can’t even identify memory. How do they store data?”
Collins nodded.
“Damn! I so hate this. So close. Just so close and not fair.” Loggar turned away from Collins and bit her bottom lip. ‘It’s not fair,’ she thought, ‘not fair at all. He wouldn’t even know about magick if it weren’t for me.’
Collins knew what was going through Loggar’s mind. It was obvious she was upset and disappointed. She just wasn’t sure if it was toward her not doing on-demand magick or Sean was conceivably the only Human in known space who could.
Loggar counted to ten. She was devastated. The only time she would ever be able to do magick would be on any Necron world active with nanobots. She turned to face Collins. “I’m okay, really. This is just a bit hard to accept.”
“Kathy, maybe the big picture is the wrong one.”
Loggar frowned, “What do you mean?”
“Maybe we should focus on one or two things?”
“Like?”
“We can make nanobots, yes. But these nanobots can only repair or remove tissue. Maybe that is something we should concentrate on.”
Loggar shook her head, “I’m not getting it.”
“Healing, near instant healing!”
“Hmmm . . .”
“Or communications. Can you imagine doing circles with just thought? No words, just images, sounds, feelings, all transmitted and received using nanobots.”
Loggar’s mind started to race. She was starting to see a different picture.
“Not sure we’ll ever be able to push fire bolts or levitate things, but we can produce a good show with other abilities.”
Loggar looked around to make sure no one was looking as she leaned in close to Collins. She gave Collins a quick passionate kiss. “Karen, thank you.”
Collins licked her lips and smiled. Loggar’s lipstick was citrus flavored. “Goddess. You going to spend time alone with the Captain tonight or can I find my way into your room?”
“Lately, I’ve been wearing Sean out. I need to give the poor dear a break.” She then smiled, “Maybe he could just watch?”
“I don’t think watching would be on his mind after a few minutes. Dawn?”
Loggar felt a twinge between her legs. “Definitely. I can ask Sean to select something from his collection of entertainment. He is a very naughty young man.” She giggled.
Collins heard about the Captain’s horde but thought it a rumor. “It’s been years since I’ve seen a good flick. Any good plots in his collection?”
“Lots. He is into storyline and plot. Most refreshing. See if the Commander is available, but from what I can tell, she probably has a bigger collection than Sean . . .”
Collins laughed and nodded.
“. . . She just comes across that way.”
Collins forgot about Dawn’s collection. Extremely impressive. Some of it leaked out to the common crew. Her embarrassment was spared that none of her self POVs were included. Dawn suspected Kirkland was behind the distribution. She had a brief encounter with one of the Department heads, which Dawn assumed leaked the codes and location. After Dawn dropped the relationship and changed all her codes Vids stopped appearing on decks. A week later the Department head unceremoniously transferred off the Johnson onto a slow moving waste collection barge.
“Speaking of Sean,” Loggar mused, “I wonder if he’s available for a snack? Computer, locate Captain Blakemore.”
“Captain Blakemore is in Starboard’s Bow.”
“Is Commander Dawn with him?”
“No, Captain Blakemore is with Ensign Newton, she is a transfer from the Mega Cruiser Barack. She is assigned to Engineering.”
Loggar’s heart skipped a beat. She thought, ‘Probably nothing really. Just something innocent.’
Collins said, “Goddess, he’s not like that.”
Loggar’s mind raced. “No, of course not. He has us now, doesn’t he?” Self-doubt crept in. “We’re all he needs.”
Collins became amused. Loggar was jealous. It was alright for her to take on lovers, but if Sean himself decided to hunt then something was wrong.
“Maybe he’s offering advice?”
Collins said nothing.
“I’ll make my way there. If he’s still there then good, if not then no big deal.” And she walked off at a subdued quick pace.
Cookie had just delivered Sean’s third cup of coffee when he nearly collided with Loggar. “Pardon, Goddess.”
Loggar craned her neck over toward Sean’s table.
Cookie said, “He’s doing okay, ma’am. Would you like me to bring you something?”
“Glass of red wine,” she said in the distance. She was already halfway across the room.
Sean laughed, “Seriously?” His manner was relaxed and the expression on his face showed he was thoroughly enjoying his company.
Loggar caught the expression and hurried up to Sean. Her features were dark and ugly. ‘How dare he enjoy himself with another woman I hadn’t selected.’
Sean spotted Loggar. His smile faded when he saw her expression.
“Sean, there you are!” Loggar said a little too loud. “I was hoping to find you here.”
Sean stood up, “Kathy, I’d like . . .”
Loggar spun on Adriana, “And who do we have here . . . ?”
Adriana stood up, “Dr. Loggar, it’s a pleasure to finally met you . . . is everything alright?”
Loggar stood stunned.
Sean leaned over and whispered in her ear, “It’s not Adruqu.”
Loggar slowly turned her head to Sean, “Not Adruqu?”
Adriana said, “That’s right, Goddess. Adruqu is my Great grandmother.”
“Seriously?!?”
Adriana nodded.
“And the kicker,” Sean began, “guess who is Great granddaddy?”
For some reason Loggar welcomed the news. Sean taking on another woman? Guilt hit hard. She felt guiltier still in thinking how very beautiful Adriana was with impure thoughts.
“Adriana, don’t be offended but I’d like Dr. Collins to run some DNA tests?”
“Of course, Captain.” Then Adriana felt dizzy. She quickly sat down. Her vision blurred and she started to sweat.
“Ensign, Adriana, are you okay.” She heard Sean ask. At some point she nodded because he stopped asking but the room tilted, then she saw the ceiling. Everything was a collage of confusing images. She faded in and out of consciousness.
“Captain, what happened?” Collins asked.
Sean looked visibly upset. His eyes were moist, but he remained composed. “One second the Ensign was fine, the next she looked like half the blood in her head had drained to her feet.”
Collins ran a scanner over Adriana’s body and checked a reading on a nearby CRT. “Everything seems to be okay. Nothing to worry about.
Looks like her blood pressure dropped rapidly. It’s normal now.”
Sean felt better. ”Maybe it was something I said.”
“And that was?”
“Doctor, a request that needs to be off-record.”
Collins raised an eyebrow. “Intrigue? Do tell, sir.”
Loggar stayed close to Sean. Her lips were tightly pressed together and she looked sad.
“A DNA test.”
“Of whom?”
“The Ensign here.”
“Against?”
Sean cleared his throat, “me.”
Collins smiled, “I see.”
Sean nodded.
“And, I’m to run the test myself?”
Sean nodded.
Collins snatched a strand of hair from Sean’s head.
“Ouch! You could have warned me.”
“And take out all the fun.” She slipped the hair into a small opening on top her hand-held scanner. She walked over to a workstation and picked up a small tumbler scanner. Walking over to a sleeping Adriana she pressed one end to her right antecubital. A little led light on top of the tumbler turned from red to blue. Collins tapped out a command on the hand-held scanner. She then walked over to a CRT. A few seconds later she looked up. “Captain? How?”
Sean’s expression went from stressed to acceptance. “The Necronians, Adruqu to be precise.”
Collins checked again. “Her Grandfather . . . no, wait. Her Great-grandfather!? Extraordinary.” Then she laughed. “And for a moment I thought our Captain had skeletons in his closet.”
Sean said, “This changes things.” A worried look on his face appeared. “I have immediate family?”
Loggar placed a hand on his shoulder, “Sean, this is wonderful. Haven’t you always wanted family again?”
“Kathy, the pain. I lost too much during the war. I’m just now getting over it.”
“But, Sean, the Necronians have command over space and time. Adruqu saw something in your past and possibly your future to give you a granddaughter.”
His expression turned ugly, “She has no right to interfere. Playing God. This is all a game to her. . . “
“How can you be sure?”
He looked at Loggar and frowned, “Are you kidding me? She’s bored. Must be. And now I’m an object to be studied and fucked with? I’m not liking this one bit.”
“Captain, if I may,” Collins interrupted.
Loggar and Sean looked over.
“Maybe you’re going about this the wrong way, sir.”
“What do you mean?”
“I wondered why Adruqu gave you the ability to use magick off Necron proper. Think about it. Kathy, Herb, Milkens and the others may only do magick on one of nine Necron worlds, maybe others. But, you Captain, can do it anytime.”
“I think it’s to torture me. I swear if we hadn’t worked out my nanobot feeding problem I’d have you find a way to turn these things off.”
Collins nodded, “And there you are.”
“Come again?”
“Captain, you have compassion. You have the power to pretty much destroy a great deal many things, yet you would gladly give it up if it harmed those around you. You can make certain things appear out of thin air. You can levitate things. I bet you can also heal certain types of injuries.”
Sean reflected on that.
Collins continued, “I can see you’re concerned still. Captain, if the Necronians can travel into the past they can travel into the future.”
Sean said, “Adruqu passed a letter through Adriana’s mother to give to me. The letter said Adriana would assist me in the future. The letter said Adriana was family, but her own person to decide her own life.”
“Makes sense. Adruqu saw something in the future, went back in the past and started a family.”
“The last time I saw her was over six months ago and we did not have sex . . .”
“Not in the normal sense. . . “
“Normal?”
Loggar said, “Clones Sean, they can clone anyone and transfer total life experiences to the clone.”
Collins said, “For you Captain, maybe just your DNA.“ She walked over to a CRT and tapped out a few commands. Information flowed across the screen. “Something else to consider.”
Sean moaned. “Yes?”
“You have a great granddaughter now.”
Sean nodded at the obvious.
“Who has a mother . . .”
“Oh, dear Goddess . . .” Sean uttered.
Sean sat in the Command chair thinking. Dawn sat next to him. “Captain, you know there is a pool about you and Adriana?”
“Already?” He turned toward Kirkland.
Kirkland concentrated on his board and looked like important info was streaming over his CRT.
Sean turned back to Dawn. “Give me the cats.”
“Lover, daughter, niece, lost friend’s daughter, cousin, prey . . .”
“Prey?”
Dawn nodded, “Funny, I know, and victim.”
Sean had a twinge of exasperation, “Victim? Some of the crew see me as a predator?”
“The rumors, sir. The rumors.”
Sean cleared his throat. “Mr. Kirkland!”
Kirkland startled, “Yes, sir!”
“Niece.”
“Pardon, sir?”
Sean glared, “Niece.”
Kirkland smiled and tapped out several codes on his CRT. Midshipman Stark won with closest time and pick.
“And, Mr. Kirkland, you may spread the word.”
“Sir?”
“Hands off. Understood?”
Kirkland coughed and gave an audible swallow. “Understood, sir.” He typed out a few commands on his CRT. “The word is spreading.”
Sean smiled. Adriana would certainly hate him, at some point, for making her off limits, but that was the price to pay for being family – his family on his ship.