"We are running out of time. The door won't hold much longer. What's our status?" Rose asked ten minutes later.
"Everything in place." Wir Eis said, entering the room with his sister.
"We are almost done," Justin said though Silv had no idea how he was so sure of the fact.
"Very well. I think I've managed to reconnect the engines with the power source, though I am not really sure what the power source actually is. Sei Eis, could you check if I did it right. I can never be sure about foreign technology." Rose said.
"Human always order," Sei Eis muttered under her breath but still proceeded to do as she was told.
After all, it would be good for her people to be able to escape the base that had been their home for far too long. Besides, other humans were bound to get through sooner or later, and as much as Sei Eis didn't like Wir Eis's human pets, she disliked the other humans more.
"Moscovium core stable. Well connected. The maneuverability unstable." Sei Eis said.
"I think I can help with that if no one has any objections. Evanescence and I created a deeper connection, and I think I might be able to help her with maneuvering." Silv said.
"Alright, you go back to the control room with Wir Eis. You'll need him if something comes up with ship systems. Sei Eis, have you ever fired a weapon?" Rose asked.
"Only human kill." Sei Eis responded.
"I'll take that as a no. Okay, then you stay here in case something goes wrong once we start up the ship. As an engineer, you might be able to fix it faster than any of us. Arthur will stay with you since he is the most knowledgeable among us." Rose said.
"Yes, my mistress," Arthur said, intrigued by a prospect of getting to know yet another alien.
Though Sei Eis wasn't as friendly as her brother, Arthur thought that once the humans left the room, she would be a more pleasant companion. She could perhaps teach him more about the mechanics of the ship since he was more intrigued by that than by the sentient parts.
Sei Eis, on her part, appeared much more open to the idea of working with an AI than she was towards helping out humans. Thus, Silv was sure Rose had made the right decision in pairing them up. What saddened Silv was the fact that she was not so sure she would have thought of that herself if she were the one in charge.
It was clear that she had a lot more to learn about working under pressure since no matter how good of a soldier she was, making quick decisions wasn't something she was good at. She was much better at following orders.
"Are there any windows or anything like that where we can put up a defense in case they do break the door?" Rose asked.
"Viewing deck. Can open and close easy." Wir Eis said.
"Then, Justin and I will go there and set up. Can someone show us the way?" Rose asked.
Before she even finished her sentence, she and Justin were transported out of the engine room.
"What happened?" Silv asked, startled.
"Evanescence." Wir Eis said.
"Did she do it because I was thinking about getting them there?" Silv asked.
"Yes," Wir Eis said.
It was both astonishing and terrifying to have one's thoughts fulfilled immediately, and Silv worried about possible implications of what was happening. What if the ship made real some of the things that Silv only thought she wanted?
"How do I contact Rose?" Silv asked.
That was when the image of a disoriented looking Rose appeared out of nowhere. As far as Silv could tell, there was one thing she was better in than her grandmother, dealing with the whole instant teleportation business.
"Are you alright?" Silv asked.
"Yes, just fine, but a little bit of warning would've been nice," Rose said.
"I am sorry, I am still working on figuring out how it all works," Silv said.
"It was awesome!" Justin said, almost jumping up and down in excitement.
"Children, children, there will be enough time for you to play around with your new toy, but now is the time to get down to business," Rose said sternly.
She didn't seem to be fully recovered from a sudden spacial displacement she experienced yet. However, she was still ready to take charge.
"Yes, yes, you are right. We'll go to the control room, and I'll connect with the ship immediately." Silv said.
She wasn't sure what happened first, the disappearance of the image of Justin and Rose or her and Wir Eis's teleportation. Yet, before she knew it, they were back in the control room, and she hurried to the commands. After all, Rose was right. They had no time to lose in admiring the beauty of the ship and all the things that were possible, which they were not aware of.
Having in mind the danger they were all in, Silv plunged her hands into the green liquid though it wasn't the most comfortable thing to do and started bonding once again with Evanescence.
Even though it wasn't a symbiosis that Wir Eis's father had, and even though Silv was human, the connection was much deeper than the first two times. It appeared to Silv as if Evanescence trusted her more after their last encounter, thus allowing her greater access to all her systems.
It was as if Silv and the ship were sharing one mind. Though there were still some differences in the way they perceived things caused by cultural differences, they were in complete sync with each other.
"Everything alright. Silv not answer question." Wir Eis said.
Silv wasn't even aware that he had asked her something, absorbed as she was in the profound connection that she had made with an alien ship.
"I am sorry. It's just so much more than I expected. Still, it's like Evanescence is slowly feeding me the information and opening new connections so as not to overwhelm me like the last time. It's a lot to take in." Silv said.
Not only did she have general control of most of the ship's functions, but she was also able to see and feel things through the ship's receptors. She couldn't tell which ones were the being's natural senses and which ones were mechanical. All she knew was that she could see and hear everything that was happening inside and out of the ship. It was mind-blowing and difficult to process.
"How do I stop myself from being overloaded with the sensory input?" Silv asked Wir Eis.
"Focus." Wir Eis said.
Silv wasn't sure what exactly he meant by that, but she tried to do so. As she focused on the part of the ship that overlooked the hangar doors, she could see the soldiers bursting in, ready to shoot anyone and anything that stood in their way.
"Let's get moving. Fast." Rose said as her image flickered into existence.
However, that was easier said than done since Silv was still adjusting to so many more sensors and stimuli than she had ever received as a human being.
Nevertheless, she tried to listen to Wir Eis's advice and focus.
In a short while, the ship started vibrating with power, ready to take off. Yet, it wasn't as easy as it appeared.
YOU ARE READING
The Ice Warrior
Science FictionIce and snow are all they know now. Only older generations remember a better time. What they don't know is how exactly it all started. They all heard a lot of different stories but no one could tell history from myth, until that fateful day when the...