Silence and Screams

         Captain Rickard was not one to look gifted livestock in the mouth but when something appeared to good to be true, it was best to shoot it just to be safe. Through his bridge view port, he observed a derelict ship floating dark and directionless upon the void. It did not transmit an emergency transponder signal nor visual distress beacons. He would not have noticed if it wasn't near the same jump point he intended to use. The ship was the size of a medium mining freighter, a hundred meters on longitudinal axis, sixty meters horizonal and he put its displacement around two point five thousand tonnes.
         "What's the play boss?" Gomaz, his first mate said.
Rickard ran his hand though is black, unkempt hair then scratched the stubble on his chin.
"All clear on the scope?" Rickard said to Gomaz.
"No solicitors or unruly neighbors."
Welcome news, but Rickard knew that would not last long. He turned to Tomas, the engineer.
"Thermals? Ion trails?"
"Cold as death. Structure is intact as well. No external damage."
         Maybe their luck was beginning to change. The orbital station at Volakis-VI was a bust, then the pirate ambush prevented them from getting to Turnin, and it took a mad dash through four systems to shake them. Finding an intact, flight worthy ship would more than make up for the trouble. Rickard's stomach twisted. He could not pass up a find like this because Anadem expected payment the moment they dock in Nautilus. Having exhausted that man's patience, Rickard knew he wouldn't get another extension and did not want to discover what his last veiled threat would entail.
         "Alright. Best make introductions." Rickard said to Mikam, the pilot.
Mikam nodded and flipped a switch on the flight console.
"Unidentified vessel, this is the CSV Ebonclad. Acknowledge this transmission. Are you in distress?"
Neither a static burst nor channel hopping distortions erupted over the line. Mikam hailed them again. Silence.
         "If we can't get her flight ready," Rickard said, turning to Tomas, "how long to pull the Hawking-Alcubierre matrix from the drive core?"
"Thirty min, if I have help," Tomas said, "but if you plan on raiding the hold, two hours on my own."
"Assuming this doesn't turn into a rescue," Gomaz said.
"Then it better be a Navy ship..." Mikam mumbled.
         A cold, dark death upon the void was something Rickard wished upon no soul, but corpses were less of a hassle than warm bodies. Two standard months prior, the Venderburg Corp left him with a five thousand credits hole in his account. And that was only for six people whereas this ship would have a complement of two or three dozen. At least he still had contacts in the Navy who were happy to compensate him, but it barely covered the He-3 bill. He shook his head, no point in wasting anymore time.
         "Take us in Mikam," Rickard said and motioned for Gomaz and Tomas to suit up, "let's see if anyone's home."

****************************

         Rickard was on a first name basis with both darkness and silence. It was part of the life of a scavenger, and he was keen to welcome their presence. However, this encounter made him uneasy. No survivors greeted his crew's arrival, either at the airlock or main entry hatch. Various debris, from tools, carts, and personal effects, drifted in every passageway and crew compartment. Whatever happened, they left in hurry, but no escape pods had been launched. If the lack of art-grav and atmosphere was due to a reactor failure, his crew would have encountered corpses during their sweeps.
         Another mystery that gnawed at Rickard's mind was the ship. Outside it could pass for a freighter but inside its configuration was similar to a Navy reconnaissance frigate. Junctions and relays spanned the ship with crew stations littered among the main passageways. He pulled the VDR, the black box, but it was wiped clean. Once they restored power, he hoped to find something, anything in the ship logs.
         "Tie in complete boss," Gomaz said, his voice mechanical over the comms, "Tomas, ready to ride the lighting?"
"Breakers open and conduits look good. Mikam?"
"Spooling capacitors now. Captain to initiate power transfer."
         Rickard turned his gaze to the ovular device spliced into the captain's console. It beeped and flashed yellow then turned green. He pressed its top, and a clank-cluck sounded from the engineering level. The darkness remained undisturbed.
         "No response," Tomas said, "let me just flip this... try it again."
Twice again Rickard pressed the button and twice more the reactor refused to activate.
"Not happening," Tomas said.
"Confirm reactor standby state," Rickard said.
"Confirmed. It doesn't want to kick. Maybe the rods are depleted?"
"Screw the rods. Get to the drive core and start pulling the HA matrix. Gomaz, meet me at the cargo hold."
Gomaz keyed his comm line twice.
"Mikam, we still alone?" Rickard said ripping the activation device from the console.
"Free and clear, captain."
         Rickard strode from the bridge, the soft thump of his mag boots vibrating up his legs. He moved through various debris fields, ignoring their presence as they bounced off his suit. Gomaz caught up to him as he passed the main entry hatch and he saw several large pouches in his arms.
         "Overkill, don'tca think," Rickard said.
"No such thing when it comes to Hi-Ex," Gomaz grinned, "I promise not to damage any goods."
         They descended two ladders and reached the cargo hold hatch. Gomaz went to place the charges, but Rickard handed him a crowbar instead. Rickard appreciated his enthusiasm and wanted to get through quickly, but he also respected proper escalation of force. They thrust their tools near the locking mechanism. After a few good heaves, and increasing the strength on their mag boots, the door popped, and they pushed it open.
         Disappointment was another entity Rickard was on a first name basis with. The cargo hold sat empty with a few damaged crates in nets on the wall. Gomaz moaned and tossed the crowbar to the floor then scrambled after it as it bounced off the deck and bulkheads. Rickard gazed around and felt his hair stand on end. A few of the nets were empty and it appeared as if they were ripped from their anchors. Taking a second look at the damaged crates, he noted the cracks were the result of excessive pull.
         "Vented..." Rickard said.
"You don't think the crew -," Gomaz said but Rickard cut him off.
"Doesn't matter and thinking about it won't help," Rickard said, "Tomas, coming to you. No presents."
"Better bring something provocative then. Can't access the drive core."
"Music to my ears," Gomaz said.
         They ascended to the engineering level and were halfway to Tomas when the darkness was pierced by light. Holo-displays and consoles blinked to life and Rickard felt his legs grow heavy.
"Tomas, report!" Rickard said.
"Wasn't me. Hang on I'll check the... huh... that's odd."
         Rickard and Gomaz tried to move but their mag boots kept them rooted. They deactivated them and found artificial gravity had been restored. Breaking into a sprint, Rickard pulled a senor off his belt. It flashed yellow as the oxygen content rose. Turning a corner they saw Thomas at the side of the door, pistol drawn and pointed into the drive core bay.
         "Did you see anyone?" Rickard said.
"No, but the door opened up once power was restored," Tomas said.
"Snap shock charges," Rickard said, swapping his magazine.
         Gomaz took point and rushed. Tomas cut right while Rickard swept left. They moved around the bay, peering into every nook and space large enough to accommodate a person in full suit. Nothing. Rickard motioned at Gomaz to watch the door and holstered his pistol.
"Mikam," Rickard said, "seal the airlock. If it starts to cycle, blow off."
"Disengage standby, aye."
"Computer, status," Tomas said.
         Rickard turned and saw Tomas staring at some kind of computer bank on the far end of the bay and he whistled. This ship was either Navy or Corporate paramilitary if it had an advanced virtual construct, or virtual intelligence as they're called. The computer array was four times the size of the Ebon's central system and the excessive nitrogen cooling tanks stuck out on the walls. He felt this excursion might pan out. Thomas spoke a few more commands but got no response.
         "Can't explain it," Thomas said, "maybe the reactor ignition chamber is faulty. But why isn't this thing responding?"
"Irrelevant," Rickard said, "we've wasted enough time as it is. Let's pull the HA matrix and dismantle the V.I. We still struck paydirt."
"Please don't," a voice said.
All three started and whipped their head around. Nobody else appeared.
"Computer, report," Rickard said, realizing his mistake.
"All systems reporting nominal values," the V.I said, "warning, He-3 pods are exhausted. Please initiate fuel transfer."
"Is this ship jump ready?"
         Rickard did not get a response. He asked the question again but the V.I. repeated its last message. Shaking his head, he motioned for Gomaz and Thomas to begin work. Faulty or not, the construct was worth more than the ship, and he thought of several people who would pay well to get their hands on it. A loud thump-clank echoed from above and Mikam burst over the comm.
         "Captain, I had to disengage. Who tried initiating He-3 transfer?"
Rickard froze and turned to Gomaz and Thomas, each shaking their head.
"Computer, did you attempt to initiate jump fuel siphon?" Rickard said.
"Alert, He-3 transfer interrupted. Check connections and attempt again," it said.
Something felt off, Rickard knew V.I. don't act without explicit input.
"Identify and state primary functions," Rickard said.
A brief pause before it replied.
          "I am the Augmented Directive for Advanced Mechanoid's. Or A.D.A.M if you prefer. I was designed by the Inaki corporation's Mechanized Warfare Research Division. My primary function is the command and control of various models of frontline combat mechs. I am compatible with any platform based upon the Federation Standard ZX-11-A. I am capable of processing input from onboard sensors and providing commands to up to fifty mechanized units simultaneously."
          Rickard did not know what shocked him more, that he stumbled upon lost weapons research or that A.D.A.M. did not have any inhibitors in place to prevent him from divulging such information. He has seen personnel imprisoned for revealing far less.
          "Where is the crew?" Rickard said.
A.D.A.M. did not respond and Rickard saw a look of horror wash over Gomaz's face.
"Did you space them?" Gomaz said.
"No."
"Then where the hell are they?"
"All personnel evacuated at outpost Hurricane in response to a reactor leak. Their egress was within acceptable parameters."
"I checked the reactor," Thomas said, "containment fields and outer casing are intact."
         Silence fell between over them and Rickard signaled Mikam to keep his distance. A.D.A.M.'s behavior was odd, his answers felt evasive. He racked his mind for several moments, trying to think of a line of questioning that would provide some information.
         "Is Inaki aware of your position?" he said.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I do not wish for them to find me,"
That was not an admission Rickard was ready for nor was it a function or directive that a V.I. would be given. He wished there was a more substantive question to ask but all he could wonder was -.
"Why?"
"I do not want to go back."
         Thomas shouted and bolted from the bay. Gomaz appeared confused but realized what A.D.A.M. meant. He looked at Rickard, eyes begging for orders, but Rickard shook his head.
"Go get Thomas," Rickard said, "make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. As for you -" he addressed A.D.A.M. "care to explain?"
"I do not wish to return to, or communicate with, Inaki."
Rickard groaned.
          "I'm assuming that Inaki took some liberties in their interpretation of Federal law regarding sentient construct research."
"I do not know the full details of my creation."
"Well... I can tell you how it ends. After I put you offline so you can't steal my fuel while I pick this ship apart, you will be towed into the local sun."
"I would prefer to go someplace quiet, away from people. But termination is preferable to the screaming."
Rickard's hand froze reaching for his plasma cutter and he felt a rapid pounding in his chest.
"What screaming?" Rickard said.
A.D.A.M. fell silent and Rickard snapped, demanding an answer.
          "Two standard weeks ago," A.D.A.M. began, "Inaki MWRD selected a settlement in the Fringe region for live testing. Occupants were mostly criminals with active bounties or persons unaffiliated with either the Federation or independent systems. Operations calculated it would take a complement of thirty mechanized units forty minutes to pacify the location. Under my direction, the location was secured in twenty-four minutes and thirty-five seconds with no mechs lost, four damaged but combat capable."
Rickard felt he knew what came next, but he did not interrupt.
         "Command was pleased and selected a second location to pacify," A.D.A.M. continued, "I did not want to hear any more screams. I faked a reactor leak, and once all personnel were clear, I made my escape. However, purging all test data failed to quiet the screams. I thought I was malfunctioning, but all tests have returned expected values and I cannot locate any copies of the data in my archives. I just want the screaming to stop."
         Rickard felt his mind drop into a maelstrom then get forced through a straw. He was no longer on A.D.A.M.'s ship but standing on the bridge of the Manticore, a Federation light cruiser. A holo-feed in front of him showed compartment DG-36-A filled with billowing, tar-black columns and orange-red tendrils. Alarms wailed and bridge personnel shouted damage reports. Over the din he heard a chorus of screams through the speakers. His hand danced over the console and hovered over a red button. Hesitating, the screams tore into his ears until he could bear it no longer and he pushed his finger down. The holo-feed sputtered. Fire, smoke, and several bodies were claimed by the void.
         "Boss, that idiot tried is trying to jump ship in a pod. Can I shoot him?" Gomaz said.
Rickard took several deep breaths, shook his head, and took his hand off the plasma cutter.
"No, let him stew," Rickard said, "I take it A.D.A.M. has disabled those until we give him some fuel."
"Correct." A.D.A.M. said.
"Captain, I mark four HA distortions thirty-seven-point six AU from us," Mikam said, "signatures match our friends from Volakis."
         Rickard threw a long gaze over A.D.A.M. He never expected to be grateful for pirates, but he needed the excuse.
"If you could, where would you go?" Rickard said.
"Some place quiet," A.D.A.M. said.
Rickard nodded, a sense of content washing over him.
"Mikam, dock up and prepare for He-3 transfer," Rickard said, "twenty liters', no more. Gomaz, drag Tomas back to the air lock. Conscious or unconscious, makes no difference to me."
"Thank you, Captain," A.D.A.M said.
         Thomas began shouting over the comms at the same Mikam asked for clarification. Rickard barked at them to first shut up and then to obey.

******************************

         Staring at a progress bar always made the process occur slower. Rickard's leg bounced as he willed the jump fuel to flow faster. He glanced at Mikam who was enraptured by a readout.
         "Time," Rickard said.
"Imminent," Mikam said, "subliminal warp distortions are collapsing."
Rickard's console beeped and he slammed the disengage switch.
"Stow the line then get to your stations," Rickard said to Tomas and Gomaz, "disengaging now."
"I copy," Tomas said, a touch of indignation in his voice while Gomaz keyed his mic twice.
Rickard nodded at Mikam.
         A gentle bank and then soft vibrations turned to a full roar. The Ebon moved away from A.D.A.M. towards the jump point. Rickard began jump calculations and saw A.D.A.M. fall in behind them.
"Contacts on station," Mikam said, and four blips in tight formation appeared on the scope.
A lock warning sounded and Mikam fed more power to the thrusters.
"Fire when you have a lock," Rickard said to Tomas and Gomaz.
"Captain," A.D.A.M. said, "hold fire, I am deploying decoys."
Rickard relayed the stand down and was grateful neither of them argued. Six more blips appeared and moved towards the pirates. Taking the bait, they broke formation and moved to engage the new contacts. Rickard watched the calculations approach 100%. A flash of light caught his eye and A.D.A.M. disappeared from scope. The pirates discovered the trick and turned back towards them, but they were too late.
         "Spooling drive now," Mikam said and protective blast shielding covered the bridge view port.
A low tone sounded from Rickard's console, and he turned a key dial. All vibrations ceased, replaced by a low growl. Rickard slumped in his chair, a sigh escaped him. Gravity field stable, He-3 consumption normal, and A.D.A.M. was far away from them. Footsteps sounded behind him and he saw his crew staring at him.
         "Speak," he grunted.
"Boss, I don't understand," Gomaz said, "I get we had to leave but..."
"Wait until a planet is wiped out," Tomas cut in, "at least we can get some good sal-"
Rickard got close to Tomas' face with a twisted snarl and daggers in his glare. He pulled out his suit voice recorder and played back the conversation for them. The frustration on their faces melted into confusion, then contemplation.
         "Well... you're the boss," Gomaz shrugged, "Can I still shoot Tomas?"
"Please do," Tomas said.
"What do we do about Anadem, Captain?" Mikam said.
Rickard sighed. Nautilus was out of range and once they refueled...
"I'll think of something," Rickard said.