[Makebelieve] Fic: Brothers Of The Blood 21

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Brothers Of The Blood - mark OF Cain

chapter 21



Adric stepped into the dimly lit room and his dark, amber eyes swept over
them. He nodded, acknowledging them silently, then shuffled across the floor
to take the seat Dalton had vacated for him.

Standing over the newly arrived man, Dalton folded his arms and ran a
slumberous glance across him. "What can we do for you, Adric?"

Adric looked up, grinning. "I wanted to bring you the news that your ship's
been recovered. She's in hanger deck 314 awaiting your inspection."

Ian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "How be she looking,
then? 'Tis there a wee chance of getting her back into space? And what of
the arboretum? How much damage be there to the plants and animals?"

"I won't lie to you. The ship's a mess, and no doubt about it."

"The arboretum, Adric? Be it destroyed?"

"Not at all. It looks to be in pretty good shape. Under the circumstances.
The plants will need some care, mind. And you say there were animals? The
techs didn't mention finding any. There's nothing dangerous to this planet's
ecosystem among them, I hope?"

"Sure and their all pretty tame. I've managed to clear up any infectious
contagions"

"Good. Okay, give me a list of what we're looking for and I'll get a team
out to locate them for you."

Ian grinned. "I'd be appreciating that."

"I'm frankly amazed any of you were able to walk away from that crash. You
must be a magician in the flight module."

Ian laughed, tossing his head back in delight. "It be nice of you to notice.
See, boss, Adric doesna' think I'm so easily replaced."

"Adric is looking to recruit you out from under my nose," Dalton said, his
lips twitching as he suppressed his own laughter. "And he didn't ride the
ship down with the rest of us."

"Besides, we all know it was Domani's contribution that got us to the
surface alive." Yessenia elbowed him in the ribs playfully. "Be serious for
once in your life."

"Serious?" Ian gripped his chest, choking. "'Tis a mortal wound you deal
me."

"With the greatest of pleasure," Yessenia assured him, punching him again.

"Enough already," Ian shifted and his arms went around her, binding her arms
to her sides. "Sure and I can be taking a hint as well as anybody."

Adric watched them, wondering at the strange mix of deadly serious and
disarmingly childish play that bubbled from them. He wasn't sure he'd ever
be able to anticipate their reactions.

"Adric?" Ian said, frowning curiously. "What say you?"

"Hm? What did you say?"

"I be asking if the Hellequin can na' be made spaceworthy," Ian said
tightly. "Be we indefinitely planetbound?"

"The ship has possibilities. We've pretty much decided she can be
recommissioned, but it'll take a lot of time and a lot more work."

Ian rubbed his hands together enthusiastically. "Well then, let us na' waste
any critical time, what say?"

Dalton nodded. "Recommendations?"

"You'll be correcting me if I'm wrong, Domani," Ian said. "But I be thinking
we should concentrate our first efforts on Yama. Once we get the super back
online, it can do a complete diagnostic and keep us informed as to the
systems demanding the most urgent attention."

"Your reasoning is sound."

Adric leaned forward, frowning. "Wouldn't your miracle computer be able to
do the job without the delay?"

Dalton directed an irritated glare at him. "You still don't get it, do you,
Adric? Domani is our computer. And I assure you there is no miracle in his
development. He is quite simply the end result of years of work done by a
computer genius in need of a top grade security droid with unlimited
capabilities."

"You?"

Dalton accepted the recognition with a slightly mocking nod. "I developed
Domani, yes. More important, I endowed him with the most sophisticated
artificial intelligence known." He laughed shortly, bitterly. "I sometimes
wonder if he is not more human than I am."

Adric blew a monotone whistle through his teeth, staring at Domani with new
interest. "An android."

"Not quite. Domani is a plasmoid. He is more a blending of human and
computer genetics."

Adric shook his head. "Incredible. I'd considered Domani might be an alien,
what with his silver eyes and the unusually iridescent shade of his skin,
but his being created in a laboratory had never entered my mind."

"That was the idea."

"You succeeded admirably. Domani passes for a humanoid quite well." He
paused thoughtfully, then lifted his brow. "It's agreed, then? Repairing the
super is to be the first order of business?"

"It would be prudent."

"Right. I'll have men put on it straight away. I assume the super-computer
was damaged in the crash?"

Arissa laughed tightly. "Not hardly. Yama went below power before we reached
the planet. We completed the jump from hyper on a hope and a prayer."

Adric's jaw dropped. His eyes darted from one to the next, coming to rest on
Dalton. "Dear God, haurride, no one takes a ship out without knowing the
computer will stand up to the journey, barring the occasional emergency."

Dalton's deep laughter filled the room. "The Hellequin has a few problem
areas. It is to be expected. After all, it isn't easy for a wanted man to
acquire a ship. We make due."

"A few problem areas?" Adric sputtered. "Dalton, the ship had a defective
controller. You really are insane."

The commander's crystalline eyes hardened. "You may have something there,"
he said, completely serious. "Yes indeed, you might very well be right."

"We're all crazy to just be involved in our line of work," Arissa said.
"Risk is what it's all about. It gets to be habit."

Dalton smiled, nodding once. "Quite."

Adric flicked her a grateful glance, knowing she had again saved his fumble.
He'd have to guard his tongue more closely. He'd worked too hard to get this
far. And even now, Dalton could easily decide to throw him over.

But not this time, thanks to the woman's quick interception. Drawing a
relieved breath, Adric crossed his arms over his chest and slouched in the
chair, considering his new allies through hooded eyes. "You know, if your
super is becoming hazardous, we could put in a new bank for you."

"Why would you be wanting to do that?" Ian demanded, jerking up stiffly.

Adric's eyes narrowed. He'd heard something in the young pilot's voice.
Something akin to fear. "We have to tear the computer down anyway to do a
proper rebuild. It might be easier to lay in a whole new super."

"And be having to adjust to a new system?" Ian waved his hands in front of
him as if warding off a blow. "Not in my lifetime. Thanks, but no thanks. I
do na' think so."

"You are fond of your current super. I understand...."

"Na' in a dream. I can na' stand the infernal thing, if you want to be
knowing the truth. Yama drives me to commit murder, however, I do know what
he be up to."

Yessenia smiled, patting Ian's hand indulgently. "Our dear pilot thinks Yama
is playing mind games on the crew."

"I do na' think it. I know it. That damn infernal computer delights in
driving me crazy. We be his own personal supply of lab animals and he be
constantly testing our reaction to one thing or another," Ian said, warming
to his subject. "Besides, any computer that can think, can lie."

"Does that include Domani?" Arissa asked.

Ian stared at the plasmoid and a slow grin replaced the thin slash of his
lips. "I'm thinking Domani is different. He likes us."

"You are paranoid, old friend," Arissa sighed.

"And another thing," Ian continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Consider the
name the computer goes by. Yama. Do ye be knowing who Yama was?"

"We know," Arissa said tightly.

"According to ancient Hindu mythology, Yama be the judge of the dead. The
lord of the infernal regions. Do ye get it?" His brows lifted dramatically.
"'Tis sounding like a description of the devil to me. Pure evil."

Boredom tightened Dalton's grim features. "It sounds more like superstition.
Yama is a computer. A machine, not the personification of some obscure deity
from an even more obscure religion."

"That be na' quite right, boss," Ian disagreed. "Yama be an annoyance, too.
One I'd be more than happy to do without." He leaned his chin on his fist
and sighed. "However, he is also our greatest asset in repairing the
Hellequin. And that supersedes any frivolous personal notions on my part."

The hardness faded from Dalton's eyes and he chuckled. "I'm glad to hear
that, because..."

"Ah, do na' say it, Dal."

"Because I want you to take over the supervision of the super's repairs."

"Did I na' ask ye na' to say that?" Ian grumbled.

"I thought you'd appreciate the assignment more than not. Furthermore, from
this moment on, I want one or more of you on duty aboard the Hellequin. We
will observe all stages of the repairs."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," Arissa said.

"We're not here to have fun," Dalton told her firmly. "Beyond that, no one
knows the ship the way we do."

Arissa stood, stretching to pop her tired muscles. "In that case, I guess
I'll take a walk down to the landing bay with you, Ian. I'm curious to see
how bad the ship came out anyway. How about it, Yessenia? You and Domani up
to checking the damage?"

"Nothing else doing," Yessenia said, shrugging. "Unless you have any special
instructions regarding the refit, Dal?"

"I've already given Domani detailed instructions. He knows what's to be
done, and in what order of priority. Once Yama is operational, he'll
download his instructions into Yama and get back to his own, more pressing
duties."

"Later then, Dal." Arissa slipped her hand through Domani's arm.

"Walk with me, handsome," she said, tossing a wicked, teasing grin over her
shoulder at Dalton.



end part 21



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