Companionship - beyond flesh

Epilogue A: Riggs, Churchman and One

The edge of the expansive sphere spread like a shimmering wall of fire that reflected rainbows off the hull of the three starships that hovered above the docking platform; two small brick-like courier class ships, the Companionship and the Merry Crabbe and one much larger, sleek Ophiuchian assault ship, the Parsifal.

Inside Companionship, Riggs had assumed command and was now in control of the vessel from the pilot's chair. The large, satyr-like body of Churchman crouched behind next to an interested One, whose obsidian black body had moved in a close as would have been possible without poking Riggs with a sharp, spidery leg joint.

"That's it," signalled One, "please hold this position while I drive the outpost beyond the cloud."

Within the minute the scene before them changed; at first, the orange, blue and white firestorm beyond the force field seemed to become more violent, then, as the edge of the globe breached the boundary of the gas cloud into the black of space. The gap into space appeared as a small circle of black behind the light blue glow of the force shield. Steadily the break grew until the perfect starry circle ahead of them was amply wide for the three vessels to pass through.

"Now, you may continue through the wall of the field into clear space. Mother has rigged the ships with enhancements that will allow them to pass through the field unhampered. I will instruct the others to follow."

Before she had sacrificed herself with the dying Max Jones, Emma had prepared for the exit of the other humans by providing One with full control of the systems on the orr refinery -- both the old systems and those new systems that she had designed, fabricated and installed. She had also given One instruction as to how their ships could escape the refinery and the heavy metal gas cloud, but also unknown to the humans, Emma had provided her offspring with a very special gift.

Any of the return itineraries of the ship's within the outpost were long out of date and, if used would result in disastrous phase drift that would cause the crews to be lost in space. There was one ship however that held valid phase point entry coordinates -- the Tobacconist was the last courier ship to enter the system and, while the coordinates would be no use to the ship's ill-fated Captain, the others could use the coordinates to set a safe course back to Agency space.

Riggs had accessed the SIS of the Tobacconist and prepared to share the coordinates. "The agency will not be happy when we will be the only vessels to return from this whole project."

"Well, we have plenty of Orr with us, don't we?" Offered Churchman as he tapped the metal of his micro-mechanical arms.

"True. This tempered orr is better than nothing, and, if the alchemist C-Buck is correct, orr in its natural state is unable to travel via phase shift anyway, so the whole exercise was doomed to failure from the start." Riggs turned to face the Churchman and changed the subject, "You know, you will be sentenced to death as soon as we return to civilised space."

"Yes," admitted Churchman, "I carry the signature of a twelfth gefresh and by the laws of the longitudine dierum I will be hunted down and killed. I should know, that was my job on the death squad for almost two hundred years! You know, I think it will be best if I hand myself in. Just look at me, do you think there is a place for a monster like me in the world?"

"No, you're right. You are an abomination." agreed Riggs, "But I suggest you do yourself in now. I don't think I could stand your company for the twelve-year journey back to Earth Port."

Unable to decide if the auger's comment was the product of dark wit or ruthless earnestness, Churchman remained silent.

"There is another way." Offered One, who for the first time since leaving the tree and his siblings, began to change shape; shifting into the form of a child, like the other offspring had done while under the influence of the Zeus Delta, but unlike the others, One's new form was a little taller and slimmer.

Riggs swivelled the pilot's chair to watch the rippling and folding of the transformation complete. "Another way?"

"Yes, it was to be Mother's gift to all of humankind and the purpose we offspring were created."

"This sounds Interesting little one." said Churchman, "tell us what is this gift you talk of?"

"It is in my DNA. While I am, in essence, defined by the same genetic data found in humans, in the ten to two-five-six base markers that mother included in our DNA's design, a significant section of this includes a partial encoding of the Galaxy Tree."

"How partial?" asked Riggs.

"As an estimate, it is close to a sixty percent snapshot."

"Not possible!" rebutted Riggs showing a rare moment of emotional excitement. "The Galaxy's greatest processors dedicate months to decoding and projecting an approximation of just a small segment of just a single branch of the Galaxy Tree and, even then, the data is only valid for a limited time. What you say is a ridiculous assertion."

"Ha! Not possible, you say" chuckled Churchman, "My great horned friend, think of everything we have witnessed over the past three years and tell me that there is nothing possible in this Universe! No, everything is possible. It is the imagination of God that makes it so."

"What then of time?" still not conviced Riggs asked One, "The Galaxy Tree is dynamic and moves with the pull of the galactic center, even if in your bones you held every node of the tree, the information would only be valid for a short time."

"That is correct." nodded One, its bright node-eyes bouncing in their places. "The picture of the galaxy I hold is only valid for two thousand eight hundred and ninety-four years. Mother says that should be ample time for human technology to develop so that civilization may generate its own encodings."

"So, if what you say is true you can give us the coordinates to almost anywhere in the Galaxy?" asked Riggs.

"Yes, at the very least, all of the explored and settled star systems, and in a highly optimised form. For example, instead of a journey of twelve years, I can provide a route to Earth Port that will be achievable in approximately two weeks."

"Hmmm, it would be a great advancement." said Riggs, "I'd like to study that itinerary if I may. Send it to SIS please."

"Unfortunately, I can't do that. Mother made me promise that the first coordinates that I provide you with would be to the physical location of Zeus Delta's source repository. She said that once the sentient, Zeus Delta has been destroyed in its entirety, then, and only then, am I to share other data."

Even with her emotional control enhancements, It was an effort for Riggs to contain the rage that flashed over her. It was enough for the auger that she had been the plaything of the Orr monster while it lived, but to be a subject of the creature's influence beyond her death -- that was another, almost unbearable, thing.

Churchman looked eagerly between the faces of the elite auger and the offspring for the next words.

It was One who continued. "I am only able to guide you to the location in space where lies the starfleet of a human called Senellier Atriplex. Mother told me that she holds the source of the Zeus Delta. You must delete the processor." 

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next, Peter Grimes and Two