Traveller - L.W. Samuelson (free e books to read online TXT) 📗

the helmet did she respond. She answered my question so I put the helmet back on and walked home. When I got to our doors, they didn’t open at my approach. I don’t think she could ‘see’ me. I’ve never thought about that until now. Not until I deactivated the suit completely did she recognize me and open the doors.”
“So she’s not infallible.”
“Nothing in the universe is infallible, Traveller. Nothing.”

The next day Traveller called Porter, “Hey, I was wondering, you’re going to be leaving tomorrow. Can I pick up my VR suit today? I promise never to put it on death mode or even stun again. I’ve thought about what you’ve said, I see now that my anger is counterproductive.”
“Hi Traveller! How are you today?” Porter queried with a smile.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m fine. How are you?”
“I am acroluminous, filled with anticipation.”
“I’ll bet,” Traveller said patiently. “How did your briefing go?”
“Fine. Nothing I couldn’t have anticipated. Battier told us not to get involved with the Earthlings. We are to keep to ourselves and observe. Take environmental and climate measurements. Catalog plant and animal species, all the usual stuff.”
“So how about it? Can I have the suit back?”
“Yes, I suppose. I’m leaving tomorrow. Will you be there to see me off?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything,” said Traveller. “Can I come over and get it now?”
“Sure. I’m busy, but I can spare a minute for a friend.”

Traveller was on his best behavior at dinner that night. “Thanks for the wonderful meal, Mother. I’ll take care of the dishes.”
“Really? Are you sure?” she said in disbelief.
“Mom, I know I’ve acted like a Lizerian lately. It’s the least I can do.”
He watched his father nod with approval. Traveller quickly cleared the table putting the dishes on the cleaning tray then inserting them in the laser washer.
“Fa Orgen, do you mind if I go to the exercise court tonight?”
“Traveller, I can’t tell you how glad I am that things are back to normal. No angry teenager to contend with. Of course you can go.”
"I'll be late so don't wait up for me."
"You are going to the launch tomorrow?"
"Sure, unless I sleep in. I've already said goodbye to Porter." Traveller kissed his father's cheek before he approached his mother who was waiting at the door. She held her arms open, hopeful. Traveller hugged her, kissed her on the forehead. "Goodbye Mom."
Once outside their quarters, Traveller sprinted to the exercise court. When the doors opened at his approach, he rushed through. His hands shaking with excitement, he pulled the VR suit from his locker.
With the suit on standby he walked down the corridor. Traveller turned the transcom on, "Ship? Ship? Can you hear me?"
A long pause ensued before she responded, "I am not getting a body signature. Is anyone there?" Traveller retraced his steps until he stood before the exercise court.
Traveller didn't answer, didn't have to. Ship's question told him all he needed to know. He took out his sensory dagger then activated it. The dagger had his name etched into the electronic circuitry so that when it was used it registered as Traveller Orgen. The doors opened and he slipped back into the court.
"Traveller?" Ship asked. "Did you summon me from the corridor earlier?"
"No. Is everything okay?"
"Yes. My register shows that someone in that vicinity called my name at eight o three parsecs. My voice register indicates it was you."
"You must be mistaken; I was in the exercise room then. I am still here. Are you sure?" he said.
Ship wasn't programmed to detect subterfuge. Anything the Benwarians said was taken at face value as the truth. There was a long pause as Ship performed a diagnostic analysis. She could detect nothing in the halls. Even the digital video playback showed nothing. Since the VR suit was white and the corridor was white Traveller had been indistinguishable as he plastered himself against the wall. "I will think about," Ship said.
It would take minutes to analyze all of the possibilities.
Traveller sat his sensory saber in the middle of the court and activated it then exited the room. He ran down the length of the corridor until it teed in two directions. He turned left toward his parent's quarters loping with long strides. Once there he activated the dagger to gain access, the doors slid open.
Ship's monitors now showed Traveller in two places temporarily. Her sensors showed that he was in the exercise room, but had suddenly appeared outside the Orgen's quarters for three milliparses. She was confused for the first time in her existence. She activated the digital cameras for a visual and found him in neither place.
While Ship froze with indecision, not knowing whether there was a decision to be made, Traveller sneaked into his parent's bedroom. Once inside, he waited to see if there was any response. His father rolled over; rested his arm on his mother.
Quickly, Traveller moved to the closet. He found his father's bodysuit. He searched it looking for the Sanctum Just pendant. It wasn't there. Something rustled behind him and he froze. Where would he put it? Where would I keep it?
In a vision it came to him. He waited until the room grew quiet again. With the silence he impelled himself to the nightstand on his father's side of the bed. The moment froze as he pushed the open icon on top of the stand. The drawer slid out, his hand slid in, the pendant was his. He manually shut the drawer before slipping out of the room. Before he left the apartment, Traveller went to his own room. He activated his dagger and put it under the blankets of the bed. Moving as fast as possible, he walked into the living room and impelled to the doors leading to the corridor. He pressed the manual control on the wall panel. A bright rectangle of light appeared as Traveller stepped into the corridor.
Now Traveller's signature appeared in two places on Ship's monitor, but a visual indicated that he wasn't in the exercise room therefore Ship deduced that he had left his saber sword on the floor. Her programming indicated that that was the only possibility. Why he had left it activated was beyond her understanding of Benwarian behavior. She turned it off.
Traveller used his father's pendant to open the door to the exercise room. It alarmed him to find the lights off as well as his saber sword deactivated. It was pitchblack inside. How am I going to get the saber without alarming Ship? If she knows I'm here, she'll know I'm not in my bedroom. An idea born of desperation came to him. He pulled his helmet off.
"Ship? Why did you turn the lights off?"
It took over a deciparse for Ship to answer. "I thought you were in your bedroom. That's what my sensors indicate."
"I'm still here Ship," he was saying as the lights came on. "Thank you."
Traveller picked up his saber. "I'm going home now. I suggest you have Fa Structor give your circuits a good cleaning in the morning." Traveller kept the helmet off and retraced his steps. When he arrived at the family's living quarters, the doors opened but he stayed in the corridor and stuck his hand inside to close them. As they were sliding together, Traveller put the helmet on, flattened himself against the wall then stood still. The corridor cameras whirred searching for movement but none could be detected.
It was late at night. Only one other Benwarian had his eyes open. He was in the control room monitoring crucial subsystems like life support. Ship was the only one Traveller had to fool. It was easy. He stayed against the wall then did a series of five mezure jumps keeping himself in the same position. When he came to a T in the corridor, Traveller slid around the corner in the direction of the flight deck. Ten jumps later he found himself outside the door of Fa Bashmin. Although Traveller judged him to be the strongest of the other three protectors, the boy's instincts suggested that he would be the easiest to fool.
Traveller used the pendant to gain access to Bashim's apartment. When the doors slid open, Bashim stirred but didn't wake up. The boy slipped inside, stayed against the wall and waited as the light from the corridor shrunk into a thin line then disappeared leaving the room dark again. He checked the chronotron inside the VR suit, three parsecs before the protectors were scheduled to depart. I'll wait, he thought as he pealed the VR suit off.
Chapter 7 - Earth Launch
At one parsec to launch Ship's voice filled the apartment. "Fa Bashim Stout your departure is scheduled for one parsec from now. It is time to awaken. It is time to awaken. It is time to awaken."
Bashim opened one eye, grumbled, then rolled over. He put the pillow over his head.
How can he stand Ship's voice? Why doesn't he get out of bed? Traveller thought.
"It is time to awaken. It is time to awaken. It is time to . . .”
"Lization! Get out of bed!" Traveller shouted.
Now Bashim opened his eyes. He rolled over, sat up. "What are you doing here?" Once he sat up the voice stopped. Ship focused elsewhere as Traveller knew she would.
"Fa Structor sent me to check your interstellar suit. She detected a malfunction in one of them so we’re checking them all before the protectors depart."
"It's in the closet," Bashim said as Traveller hurried to get the suit and put it on. "Say, aren't you the boy Porter introduced us to?" It never occurred to Bashim to question the boy's presence. As far as he knew all Benwarians could be trusted. They were trained in ethics. Trust was one of their most basic beliefs.
"Yes. I've been assigned to the engineering team for training," Traveller said. He shrugged Bashim's suit on. It was a little too short and somewhat baggy, but Traveller barely noticed. He put the helmet on. "I'll need your activation code."
Bashim cocked an eyebrow. "Fa Structor didn't give you an override?"
"No. We're wasting time. You depart in .75 parsecs."
"Benwar Earth four."
Traveller typed the code on the wrist control almost before the last syllable of Bashim’s words sounded. The suit activated. He impelled himself to the wall where his VR suit lay in a heap, picked up his sensory saber, set it to stun.
Not until Bashim heard the hum of the sword did he realize what was going on. He charged the boy knocking him against the wall. The protector tried to grasp Traveller's wrist and wrench the saber way, but a knee to the groin took the man’s breath away, doubled him over. There was blinding electric pain before Bashim's world turned black.
With the suit on, Traveller would register as Bashim. He smiled as he stuffed the torn blanket inside the suit to bulk up. Now all he had to do is get on the space bullet with out being detected. He would wait, be late, hope Porter didn’t out him.

A podium was set up just outside of the space accelerator doors. Three protectors stood behind Logis as he addressed the thirty or so Benwarians who had gotten up early enough to see the launch. Traveller watched through the clear panel for just the right moment and then he removed his helmet, opened the doors, and headed down the stairs. He watched the crowd. When one of the protectors glanced up, he hastily jammed the helmet on his head.
“Our hopes and aspirations rest with these four