The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

“Of course not. No one is a prisoner in this fleet.”

He thought she stifled a chuckle, but the moment passed.

“Dr. Tomelin, I’d like to sit down with you later to discuss our struggling soldier. I trust you will find time?”

“By all means, Admiral.” The lift slipped open. “If you’ll excuse me, this is my stop. Admiral. Mr. Levinson.”

“Fascinating woman,” Magnus said when the door closed. “I understand she transitions the liberated immortals.”

Valentin winced. “She helps transition them. And I’m not sure fascinating is the best word. If you’re fortunate, Magnus, a third of whatever she told you is true.”

When the lift opened at the production floor, the fleet’s chief of intelligence was waiting to board. Valentin had not seen Harrison Malwood, a bald man with a white eyepatch, since they returned to the fleet following the Vasily Station mission. Valentin thought the man crankier and more circumspect than usual then.

“Malwood, good day. And what you are doing down here?”

“What I always do, Admiral. Observe. In other words, my job. Please excuse me.”

Valentin felt a cold wind pass as Malwood stepped inside. And who is observing you? Valentin thought.

Valentin and Magnus headed out onto the production floor. Robots, holowindows, and phasic tools created a visual symphony as refractors and energy slews took form along a series of geodesic stations connected by isolation cylinders. Twenty Chancellors monitored the tech, while rogue peacekeepers secured the finished products off the line. Seventeen-year-old Jewel hybrids Bartok Hyam and Ursula Amondala inspected the products with holotools James designed solely for Jewel use. Ursula, due to deliver triplets in twenty-six standard days, worked apace as if her enormous belly posed no hindrance. Bartok was the father.

“The operation is moving efficiently, despite your absence,” Valentin told Magnus. “You have an effective chain of command.”

“We try.” Magnus grinned. “After all, we’re invested in your success, Admiral.”

Spotting his brother was easy. The room’s biggest giant was talking to Magnus’s second in command at the first station.

“Tell me, Magnus, what do the other Chancellors say about this investment? Have you heard any concerns?”

Magnus swallowed hard, impossible for Valentin to miss.

“Concerns, Admiral? What do you mean?”

“I know there must be some frustration when we don’t explain our strategy or the nature of everything you produce.”

Magnus shrugged. “A few might vent on occasion. Nothing seditious, I assure you. Nothing rankles a Chancellor more than having no leverage. Quite familiar with the concept, I’m certain.”

“I am, Magnus. Your team is doing exceptional work. When all is done, you’ll return to the Chancellory as a hero. More or less.”

“More, I hope, Admiral.” Magnus started toward the first station. “Will you be joining us, sir?”

“Not at the moment. Go show my brother some adulation.”

Valentin followed a notion that took him to Bartok and Ursula. They were taking a finished refractor through its analytical paces and did not notice Valentin approaching. He thought they made a strong match. They were both raised in closed jungle communities on other versions of Indonesia Prime and were the first hybrids James broke free of the Chancellor compliance programs. Once they escaped their prison, Bartok and Ursula absorbed the Jewel’s intellect at frightening rates. James suggested these two would be the likely heirs to Jewel leadership if he and Rayna were killed.

“Admiral.” Bartok’s greeting was nonchalant. Ursula did not take her eyes off the refractor.

“Are the products meeting standard?”

“So far. But one can never be too certain in dealing with singularities. Any miscalculation could have frightful results.”

Valentin looked over his shoulder.

“Do the others know? About the singularities, I mean.”

“Of course not. If these fools,” Bartok said, eyeing the Chancellors and rogues, “knew the true purpose of these refractors, we might face a mutiny.”

“Precisely, Bartok. That’s why I’m surprised you use the word openly. A bit dangerous, wouldn’t you say?”

Bartok flexed a brow. “You’re right, Admiral. Of course. Sometimes, I get ahead of myself.”

Ursula finished her probe and silenced the holotool.

“Only sometimes?” She grinned at both men but pointed at Bartok. “This one here is a walking, talking security risk.”

“You jest,” Valentin said, “but we must take care. Everything rides on our ability to deploy the refractors without disruption. Speaking of disruptions, are you two excited about the triplets?”

“Excited?” Ursula paused to reflect. “These three are going to be much like the production line. They pass through the final station, and then we start making new ones. If we’re to reach Brother James’s goal of five hundred Jewels within five years, the first two generations are going to be quite busy. No time to be excited.”

“So many decisions still to make,” Bartok added. “We haven’t decided whether we’ll pair for the next round or switch off with the others. For variety, you understand.”

No, he didn’t. Valentin was guaranteed never to father a child – Emil and Frances Bouchet saw to that – so he didn’t understand this ambivalent attitude toward three. Rikhi Syed’s words hit him across the bow. Is that love?

“I suppose you’ll be learning my brother’s transference techniques to accelerate your triplets’ growth?”

Bartok raised his hand. “All on me, I fear. If she’s going to birth them, I might as well grow them.”

“I saw James growing his boys. Have you tested to see if you can transfer Jewel energy in a stable form?”

“Brother James insists we begin under his tutelage.”

“He is the expert. But I wonder, have either of you tried to tap into your own raw energy?”

Ursula rubbed her belly. “Strange question, Admiral.”

“I know, but we’re approaching a convergence. All the new children about to be born, full deployment of the refractors, the final push to our home world. I care about everyone in the fleet. I just want to make sure we’re all our best when the time comes.”

Valentin felt like