Day 00007 Mission Nilex
As Gareth sat down at his desk, he pulled the monitor closer. Immediately, pictures of the ships he'd asked Canaisis to gather appeared. He flipped through them, zooming in on key features. The view was from a distance, so details were not visible.
Diagrams of the ships appeared, and he studied them closely. Canaisis had made educated guesses but, to him, he feared she was accurate. They appeared to be military in design and purpose. Carrier ships, large bay pods for launching fighters or shuttles. Blisters along the hull, most likely weapons, lasers, or missiles. Judging from the sizes of the ships, the crew of each was small, maybe a few hundred.
Battles in space were hard things to make happen on an interplanetary scale-there was just too much room in a star system. But if a single planet were your target, then these ships would be ideal.
He sat back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the desk.
Corporations were actually slaves, and one had to assume it was Corporations that were being sent to build the new colonies. And if that was the case, then these ships meant there was trouble in the colonies, or they were going to prevent trouble from starting.
His thoughts turned to what Ayla had said, that she believed the fourth seed pod was for a planet already colonized. The Proteus Corporation, she'd thought. He needed to confirm that.
He left his cabin and as he walked the familiar corridor, his mind tried to fit the data points together the way one would a puzzle. Finally, in frustration, he put it aside. Letting a problem go, allowed the subconscious room to play with it.
«Hangar level, please.»
He entered the zero-G of the transit tube and cocked his brow when he found his movement halting at the Garden level instead.
«Why are we stopping here, Canaisis?» he thought.
«There's an anomaly in the Garden, Captain.»
Concerned, he stepped into the hallway. «What kind?»
«I'm not sure, but I felt your presence is required. It concerns Ayla.»
«On my way.»
He strode to the great door as it opened and continued down the trail. For no particular reason, he picked a green fruit from a tree he passed, maybe Ayla and he could share it. When he stepped out of the trees, he halted, immediately knowing something was wrong.
The Oak Tree seemed to drape over Ayla, who sat with her back to the trunk with her arms wrapped around her knees. She was turned away from him, so she didn't see him standing on the edge of the grass clearing.
Not yet ready to intrude on her, he reached out mentally, «What's happened, Cansisis?»
«I'm unsure, Captain. But I've been observing closely. Ayla came and touched the Tree, then I began seeing very unusual electrical patterns.»
«Explain it to me.»
«I observed this once before, yesterday, when Ayla touched the Tree with her hand. I saw areas of her brain that are usually dormant become extremely active. This time, however, I'm also seeing electrical patterns in the Oak Tree synchronizing with Ayla's patterns. I don't have any information on this phenomenon but I'm observing and postulating theories.»
A wave of concern washed over him. «Is she in any distress?»
«Physically, somewhat. Elevated heart rate, tear ducts active, elevated electrical patterns within her skin, nothing threatening. But the limbic system in her brain is electrically active by 275 percent. The other areas of her brain that awakened are significantly active, much more than is normal for any area of the Human brain.»
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CANAISIS ∞ Chronicle One: The Last Living Ship ∞ 1: A New Mission
Science FictionBook 1 of CANAISIS ∞ The Last Living Ship trilogy (Chronicles of Canaisis 1) Can a ship, born to sail the ocean of stars to ensure Humankind's survival, save her Captain from the void within his own heart? ∞ ∞ ∞ Canaisis is the last of her kind, a L...
