Resistance Read online

  “Aren’t they, though?” Olofi wondered. “I mean, in a few hundred years maybe what you say will be true… but now, they’re such a new species, and there are so few of them. Not to mention that this group of androids is an extremely tightly knit community. And they just went through a massive ordeal together to boot. It seems like they’d naturally all stick together.”

  “Well there’s nothing natural about them,” Loco chuffed.

  “You’re just haunted by that time you almost got seduced by one,” Olofi chuckled.

  “Hey,” Loco growled, his face flushed, “you’re not supposed to bring that up, remember? We had a gentleman’s agreement!”

  “And yet, I did,” Olofi chuckled, “guess I’m not the gentleman you thought I was.”

  “You’re just jealous,” Loco muttered.

  “Jealous of what? That you cried in the shower for three days because a synthetic lady gave you feelings in your favorite place?”

  “Shut up,” Loco growled, cheeks burgundy beneath his dark beard. “I was nearly taken advantage of!”

  “Oh please,” Olofi laughed, “you’re about as unwilling as a glutton drowning in melted chocolate.”

  Bentley entered the bridge from the far end, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and a fresh face. She spotted the three gruff lwa easily in the sea of more slender people and gave them a small wave. Some of the androids approached her with words of thanks as she moved through the crowd, recognizing her as one of the pair who had endangered themselves for the cause. A human, who had nearly sacrificed herself for android welfare. She nodded politely at them but waved them away wordlessly, feeling bashful and wishing Svend were there to act as an intermediary. Though she was slightly ashamed to admit it, he was the only android she had formed much of a connection with.

  The androids all seemed so… regal, to Bentley. They were humble, and yet each of them was special, part of an elite new class. Even if they were being denied basic rights as often as not. Even if they did not see it themselves at times, each of them was unique and deserved an equally unique place in society. The way everyone on the Thralldom Station had looked down on them as inanimate objects had sickened her.

  She turned away from the last android vying for her attention and slipped onto the bridge and up beside the lwa. Their reactions to her presence varied as much as their personalities. Olofi grinned and looked like he wanted to hug her. Shango gave her a fatherly smile and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. Loco curled his lip and looked away, suddenly distracted.

  “I think I know where Legba is,” she announced out of the blue before they could speak.

  A long beat passed. “We all know where Legba is,” Loco mocked, “at least, you know, metaphorically speaking.” He stuck out his tongue, dragging a finger across his throat and making a squishing sound.

  “Loco, don’t be such a dick.” Olofi told him before turning back to Bentley. “How do you know? Have you heard anything from him?” he asked hopefully.

  Shango looked around calmly to make sure no one else was listening, and then directed his attention to Bentley. “Why don’t you tell us what you mean?”

  She shifted her gaze back to the door and moved her weight to her other foot. “It means what it sounds like. I mean, I woke up and now I know that I know where he is.” She raised her eyebrows pointedly glancing from one man to the next.

  Loco shook his head with a laugh. “She’s just been dreaming, hallucinating, that’s all. And Legba is dead,” he dismissed with a cruel twist of his mouth.

  “You don’t know shit,” Bentley growled. “This wasn’t a dream. It was something else. More of a vision, I think, from Legba. Something he wanted me to see.”

  “Right,” Loco smiled, “a vision or a hallucination. This was obviously brought on by whatever happened between your brain and that retina scanning doohickey.”

  “No it wasn’t,” Bentley insisted, clenching her fists. She turned her face deliberately away from Loco and looked at Shango. “It was like a dream but I could feel someone else there with me. Another consciousness. I’m pretty sure it was Legba. He was trying to communicate with me by reaching out through our shared memories. He can do things like that, can’t he?” she asked hopefully.

  Shango raked his fingers through his beard, his eyes crinkled with concern. “That’s a bit of a stretch, Bentley.” He leaned on the back of his chair to bring his eyes down to her level. “After all, you were the last one to see Legba alive. You told us he was bleeding everywhere. Even he can’t survive that for long. Even he has his limits.”

  “He’s fine,” Bentley assured him, “I know it, and that’s not all. He told me where to find him.”

  Shango held her gaze. “He told you?”

  “Well, I guess he sort of showed me… I was feeling very alone when suddenly I felt his presence, and then I became aware of these coordinates.” She closed her eyes and recited from memory. “QX849-LF. I’d never forget it. They’re branded into my mind.”

  The three lwa exchanged glances, and Bentley’s heart fell as their eyes finally looked to her. They did not believe her. Not a single one of them. Not even Shango or Olofi.

  “This is bullshit!” she exclaimed. “We should be on our way out of here, right now!”

  “We can’t do that, Bentley,” Shango said quietly, but his eyes sank into her like diamond tipped drills. “And I think you know why.”

  Anger flashed through her as she planted her fists on her hips. She was aware of her surroundings, and she tried to keep her temper under wraps. But she wanted to help Legba too, and she knew she was running out of time. She felt it.

  She just needed to convince the others to help.

  Her anger deflated, confused as to why they couldn’t help her right now. “I don’t know,” she admitted, wishing she didn’t sound like a child in her own mind.

  Shango heaved a sigh, got up out of his chair and led her over to a more secluded area of the bridge, between a hulking data array and a bank of monitors.

  Bentley crossed her arms.

  Shango met her with a firm gaze. “Just relax,” he told her. He lifted a wide palm and pressed it across her forehead, like Legba had done to her. It seemed like so long ago that she’d first woken up in the medical bay of the Chesed. Despite her irritation, the action caused her to take a deep breath.

  “I’ll be fine,” Bentley muttered through a heavy exhalation.

  “It doesn’t seem so,” he replied cupping her chin and staring squarely into her eyes. “Have you been sleeping? Eating?”

  “What? Yes. I mean what’s enough sleep, anyway? And I eat what the autocook serves. Look, I get it. I was a bit anxious, but will you please just explain to me why we can’t go after Legba right now?”

  “Come on, Bentley,” Shango groaned. “Look around.”

  She did, following his gaze to the door. “I see a ship full of androids who would gladly help us.”

  “Wrong. You see a ship full of refugees who are terrified about what’s coming next, and just want to find a safe place to call home. They’re not ready to go off on some adventure, and frankly neither is the Chesed. We took a few hits in that last battle. Nothing too severe, but we should get her repaired before we enter into any more scuffles. Not to mention that we’re low on fuel.”

  Bentley’s eyes widened in concern. “How low?”

  “Don’t worry,” he said, patting her shoulder. “We’re not going to end up dead in the water. I wouldn’t be a very good captain if I let that happen, now would I? You just go get rest, eat right, and if you have any more of these visions, come to me directly. I want to find Legba as much as you do, so if there’s anything from him-”

  “So you think he’s alive?”

  He winked at her conspiratorially. “I always believed Legba was always either too clever or too stubborn to die. We’ll see if those traits persisted into his old age.”

  Bentley took another deep breath. The more she looked at Shango, the more p
eace she felt. He reminded her how strong and capable she could be. He embodied all the things she’d learned about herself since waking up on the Chesed with no memories. Her affection for him swelled as she threw her arms around him in a quick hug, gently pressing her head against his broad chest. Shango was tired and leathery, and he slightly stiffened at the touch, but after a moment, relaxed and returned the embrace.

  “Just tell me everything will be alright,” she whispered. “Just tell me.”

  He spoke softly and confidently. “It will. Everything will be alright.” His deep, heavy voice created a strong foundation, and Bentley built a serene mindset on top of it. She didn’t need to head to QX849-LF right away, and the androids did need their help.

  They rejoined the other two lwa as the crowd of refugees outside thinned, dispersing to the accommodations below.

  “Did you talk some sense into her?” Loco raised a bushy eyebrow at Shango, pointedly ignoring Bentley.

  “More like the other way around,” Bentley teased. “We’re going after Legba. I’ll man the weapons system!”

  Loco’s face dropped. “What the fu-”

  Shango belted out a laugh. “She’s joking, Loco. Our next stop is still wherever the androids want to be dropped off.”

  “You little brat…” Loco’s voice trailed off and turned away. “I’ll be in my room until-”

  This time it was the pounding of feet that cut him off. The pattern of the running was too perfect to the be human, and Bentley recognized it distinctly. She whirled around.

  “Jelly Bean!” She cried as the ship’s android skidded into sight. “What’s wrong?” The hyper intelligent life form’s immaculate face was tight with concern.

  “We’re under attack!” she shouted to them, still drawing closer.

  Androids leaped out of her way and peered through the transparent walls, searching for signs of incoming vessels. They seemed to respond to Jelly Bean’s call almost before it had left her synthetic lips.

  Shango’s forehead creased, but he remained calm. “Attack? Is it the Thralldom?”

  Jelly Bean’s quick steps carried her closer until she could whisper to only Bentley and the lwa.

  “Amroth.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Aboard the Chesed, Edge of Klaunox-Orion Sector

  “Are you sure?” Shango challenged.

  He plopped into his chair and swiveled around to face his control panels as his callused hands danced over the keyboard. “I’m not seeing anything on radar.” The vastness of empty space still sat around them looking as empty as ever.

  The other two were already at their stations. “I’ve got nothing on the visual scanner,” Loco reported after peering into a binocular gadget. “I think our resident steam engine has blown a gasket. This is what happens when you don’t oil the gears regularly enough.”

  “Don’t call me that!” Jelly Bean snapped. “For your information, you can’t see his ship because it’s cloaked, you giant pile of water and hormones, and he’s about to-”

  A heavy vibration rattled through the ship, and sparks showered the outside of the windows as Amroth’s vessel suddenly appeared, firing a blast of energy along their flank. The first shot was only a graze, which gave everyone the chance to grab something, or brace themselves in some way.

  Boom!

  The second blast was a direct hit, rattling the Chesed to its core and nearly knocking Bentley off her feet. The few androids remaining on the bridge stood firm as if they could predict the incoming tremors, and anticipate which way they should lean and what they should hold onto.

  “Status reports, now!” Shango demanded through the chatter of the androids. “Bentley, assess the hull damage, Loco, bring our weapons online, and Olofi, get us unhooked from that damned ship so we can maneuver!”

  “But Captain!” Olofi responded, “We still have androids bringing over supplies and tech. If we disconnect now we lose them.”

  “Damn!” Shango cursed, driving a fist into the arm of his chair. “Belay my last. Wait for the stragglers to get on board, and then give us some wings!”

  “What’s going on?” a familiar voice cried out. It was Jade. Her pony tail streamed behind her loosely, almost as springy as her step. She carried a chunk of dark brown protein-loaf in one hand, trailing crumbs behind her. “I was in the mess when the ship started shaking. Are we under attack?”

  “It’s Amroth,” Jelly Bean confirmed. “But there’s no cause for immediate alarm. Our shield should hold. For a couple more blasts.”

  Jade’s jaw dropped. More crumbs hit the floor. “Soooo we’re fucked after that?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Shit, let me see if I can do something to give us a little extra time.” Jade shoved the last of her loaf in her mouth. She sat down at a terminal and got to work while she chewed.

  Bentley felt useless and watched, amazed that Jade knew how she might help.

  “How did Amroth find us?” she wondered aloud. They had been so careful.

  Only silence answered her question, followed by another blast which threatened to sunder their shield. Nearly falling again, she found an empty seat and sat down.

  “Are you sure the shield is protecting us?” Jade asked, gazing at the shower of sparks outside. Her fingers flew over the controls in front of her. “I’m rerouting power but it’s like trying to pump water through a hose with a hole in it. Jelly, will it hold?”

  “Of course,” Jelly Bean affirmed. “For approximately 2.7 more blasts, or 3.5 minutes at the current rate of assault.”

  “Damn it!” Shango shouted. “It would be good to know these things before they happen. Give me updates people!”

  “The last of the androids have boarded,” Olofi informed the group. “We’re disconnecting from the wreckage.”

  “Weapons coming online,” Loco chimed in.

  “Hull damage is still minimal,” Bentley reported, finally making some sense of the control panels. She knew how to operate the board.

  “Alright-” Shango said.

  Another presence burst onto the bridge. “Captain Shango!” It was Blackfriar with Barnabas at his elbow. “I believe I can be of assistance,” he told them confidently.

  “How? Have you got an extra ship up your sleeve?” Loco sneered, gritting his teeth as he tapped furiously on his console.

  “No,” Blackfriar admitted apologetically, “but I can offer us all sanctuary at the safest hideout in the galaxy, and that is my personal promise. All we need to do is stall Amroth’s ship, which shouldn’t be too difficult if you’ll allow my people to take charge, momentarily. I promise you that your beloved ship is in good hands, and we will deliver us all from this danger.”

  Shango hesitated only a moment, but then nodded and stood up, motioning for Blackfriar to take his seat.

  “What?” Loco exploded. He leaped up and rounded on Shango. “No way am I going into battle standing behind a bunch of talking dildos!”

  “Watch your language!” Shango interjected, standing up to face Loco. They stared at one another.

  “Why should I?” Loco said impudently, “You’re always happy to watch it for me!”

  “Well it’s becoming a chore and I’m sick of it,” Shango growled. For a moment it seemed the two might come to blows.

  “This is no time for that!” Olofi shouted frantically. “Let’s give Blackfriar and his people the controls!”

  “Just a minute,” Bentley interrupted, drawing looks from the others. “We have no idea how Amroth tracked us down. How can we promise Blackfriar he won’t track us to this secret base?”

  Shango frowned. “Bentley, if you have a problem with the way I run this ship, you may excuse yourself to your quarters.”

  That stung like a whole nest full of wasps. How could Shango be so cruel to her?

  “What is this?” Loco demanded. “The crazy girl takes my side for once and you kick her off the bridge? I’m calling bullshit!” He was so close to Shango he was nearly sputtering in
the man’s face.

  “If Amroth can track us,” Bentley reasoned, “we need to make a jump right now. We need to create as much distance as possible.” She looked from Blackfriar to Shango, expecting one of them to jump in.

  “But we’re almost out of FTL fuel!” Jade exclaimed in exasperation, still working away at her terminal.

  “We also need to get to Legba,” Bentley went on, ignoring her friend. “Legba is the only person in the galaxy who can hope to stand against Amroth.”

  “My, thank you for the vote of confidence,” Loco said sarcastically.

  “You should talk!” Bentley growled. “You won’t believe a thing I say, even though I’m the only one who knows where Legba is! I saw the coordinates in a dream!”

  The three lwa, and Jelly Bean shook their heads. Even Jade looked away. That was when Bentley saw that Svend had come onto the bridge. He was looking at her in confusion. Suddenly Bentley realized how crazy she must have sounded. Heat seeped up her neck and into her cheeks and ears, coloring them bright red. “You’ll all see that I’m right, eventually.” She sighed, crossing her arms.

  “Sure,” Loco scoffed, “we’ll all pretend like you’re right when we come to visit you in the loony bin.”

  Shango poked Loco in the chest. “Do you need a few weeks with your jaws wired shut to learn some manners?”

  “Loco, don’t be an ass,” Olofi groaned. Bentley thought of several venomous responses, but the barb had struck home, and she looked down deciding to ignore Loco as much as possible.

  “My lady,” Captain Blackfriar said, and Bentley looked up, only then realized he was talking to Jelly Bean. “I fear I shall require complete control of this vessel in order to save us all.”

  “What?” Shango asked, turning from his confrontation with Loco.

  “She has yet to relinquish the ship’s navigational computer,” Blackfriar informed him. “Perfectly understandable, but under the circumstances I think it will be necessary that you allow me to fully assist.”