Defy the Worlds (Defy the Stars #2)(98)
“We’re from Earth,” Harriet chimes in, taking Zayan’s hand. “But we live as Vagabonds and travel all over the galaxy.”
“Me, I’m from Cray.” Then Virginia frowns. “I mean, I’m from Earth originally, but I’ve lived on Cray most of my life.”
A woman a few years older than Noemi hesitantly asks, “Is Cray really just one big supercomputer?”
“Mostly!” Virginia agrees with cheer.
Then the few people by the river are all congregating in this one spot, wanting to hear more about Cray and Stronghold and everywhere else in the greater galaxy. Ephraim gets caught up in describing his world’s deep mines, while Virginia clearly enjoys talking about the Razers’ secret lab. It’s Abel himself who explains the newly discovered world, Haven, with its blue pine trees and clouds of bats, and what may be happening there even now. Surely not all the listeners gathered near have fully accepted Abel as a person like themselves… but he sees signs that such acceptance could be possible. A few Remedy members have also begun to mingle with the group, and he’s aware that Vagabonds have put in at ports across the planet. Genesis is still too battered to look far into the future, and the threat posed by Earth is very real—but already he can determine that the planet will never be as closed off again. Other humans will find their way here; they’ll shape Genesis and be shaped by it.
Could that be true for someone who isn’t human?
Abel looks over at Noemi, who’s forgotten her sadness. He’s been summoned to a meeting that night to answer questions, but now he can ask one of his own.
Maybe his future isn’t out among the stars. Maybe it could be right here.
Darius Akide’s offices are ventilated with natural breezes and illuminated primarily by sunlight. The economy of it is something Abel expected; the beauty of it surprises him.
When he says as much, Akide shakes his head. “That’s one of the differences between mechs and humans. Where you see efficiency, we’re capable of seeing something more.”
Abel takes no offense. As he knows from his initial journey with Noemi, humans require time to fully accept him. “Upon consideration, it makes sense. Even in pure mathematics, the equations that appear ‘beautiful’ are most likely to be true. Beauty is not only a perception; it’s also an indication of simplicity and strength.”
That makes Akide blink, but he says nothing. His eyes narrow as he studies Abel from behind his desk. This allows Abel to study Akide in return. The images of this man in his memory banks are of him in his early twenties, when he was Burton Mansfield’s protégé and friend. One holo showed Akide holding Gillian when she was only four months old. Some of Darius Akide’s theories are woven into Abel’s deepest programming and structures. Perhaps he should feel reverence, meeting someone who is in effect his co-creator.
He does not. Mansfield reserved that reverence—the devotion dictated by Directive One—for himself.
So Abel sees an ordinary human male in late middle age, of African descent and average height (impossible to gauge precisely while the man is sitting). Akide shows signs of recent illness: bloodshot eyes, ashy skin, and slowed reaction time. Yet he has resumed his post, helping to lead a planet in great peril. This is a sign of either great fortitude or great egocentricity.
“According to Vidal’s report, Gilly managed to store her son’s consciousness and transplant it into another mech.” Akide steeples his hands. “One with even more organic components than you have yourself.”
“The transfer wasn’t entirely successful, but it’s impossible to say whether the process is fundamentally flawed, or whether failure was due to premature execution.” He then deliberately uses the same nickname Akide did. This is a connection they share. “Gilly certainly believes herself to have copies of both her son’s consciousness and her father’s. Had she been able to capture me, she would have attempted to transfer Mansfield’s into my body. Given that I am both intact and functioning excellently, complete transfer might well have succeeded.”
Akide shakes his head. “Thank God the Osiris crashed. Their work could’ve proved monstrous. At least it’s been destroyed.”
“I wouldn’t be so certain. They had extensive plans to expand their work on Haven. The so-called Winter Castle may very well have mech labs she’ll be able to use to further her research.” Abel finds the idea of organic mechs highly interesting—something he’d like to investigate himself, for his own purposes—but senses this is unlikely to be a feeling Akide shares.
“Any data you can provide on these plans will be welcome,” Akide says, as if inputting a command into a basic computer. “Visual images, if you can re-create them. I’ll want to research this in much more depth once we’ve made it through this crisis.”
The Vagabond fleet remains assembled above. It has been less than three days since Earth learned of that fleet’s existence and its journey to the Genesis system—and since the galaxy learned of Earth’s deception. Given the amount of time necessary for bureaucratic decision-making and military mobilization, Abel puts the likelihood of a major military operation within the next two days at 81.8 percent.
However, unlike humans, he can be aware of impending danger yet continue to focus on other subjects. “I wished to ask—will any of those who have come to defend Genesis be allowed to remain here?”