“We are on Earth,” General Intoshkin stated. “Osiris is considered Earth property. Jace is a human and citizen of the United States of America. The Alliance has no authority here.”
“On the contrary, the agreement clearly states that the Osiris is a joint venture between the Alliance and Earth. Jace is the Pilot of the Osiris. So he is the concern of the Alliance,” Khoth stated.
“Our son is not anyone’s concerns, but ours,” Diane stated flatly as she glared at both him and the general.
“Colonel Parker--Diane, I did not mean to suggest anything to the contrary,” General Intoshkin stated. “But with Jace’s… new abilities and connection to Precursor tech, we have a right to--”
“Guys, I’m standing here.” Jace stepped out from behind Khoth. “Why don’t we stop speaking about me and start speaking to me?”
“The general wants to stick you in a lab and test you. He has no intention of letting you fly any spaceships or doing anything you are meant to do as the Pilot,” Khoth stated, seeing the lab-coated doctors that had appeared in the corridor. “Isn’t that what you intend, General Intoshkin?”
“I think a check-up isn’t an unreasonable request, Jace. Not after what you’ve gone through,” General Intoshkin said with a shrug.
Jace glanced over at the doctors and a moue of distaste crossed his lips. “I’ve had enough poking and prodding for today, I think. Besides, you won’t understand what you find anyways. And it can’t be duplicated.”
“How do you know that?” General Intoshkin asked. “Did Gehenna tell you that?”
Khoth was curious himself, but he knew that Jace was telling the truth.
Jace shook his head. He pointed towards the screen where the Osiris had communicated with them. The blinking cursor was back.
“The Osiris told me,” Jace answered.
“The Osiris… the ship?” General Intoshkin asked. “This ship is also an AI?”
“It’s something,” Jace said.
There was the sound of thumping boots as Thammah came down the hallway, jogging. Her cheeks were flushed a dark blue and she looked both excited and alarmed.
“What took you so long, Flight Commander?” Khoth asked with a frown as she ran into the room.
She put her hands on her thighs and breathed. “I hate running on this planet. I want my ship back.”
“Thammah, you okay?” Jace asked.
She looked up at him. “Holy hell, Jace! You’re two times the man you were when I last saw you!”
Jace grinned. “It’s wild, right? But… but you look at a little… winded.”
“I was delayed… and I’m winded,” Thammah gasped out. “Because I saw something. The ship… the wound in the side of the ship is healing.”
Model Student
The moment the words were out of Thammah’s mouth there was a thrumming noise that filled the Core chamber.
“My God, what’s that?” His mother’s head jerked around as she, too, felt the thrum.
“The Osiris has never done this before, has it?” General Intoshkin asked.
“The Osiris has never done anything like this before,” his mother assured her superior and then her eyes went to Jace. “It’s been silent as the tomb for the most part.”
“Do you know what this is, son?” his father asked.
“I… ah… the Osiris doesn’t exactly communicate the way Gehenna does,” Jace admitted. “So I’m not sure.”
“We should perhaps return to the base,” General Intoshkin stated as his gaze crawled all over the walls. “Let the scientists come in here. Test everything. Jace can be examined as well and--”
“I’m not leaving! And I’m not being examined!” Jace’s tone was sharper than he intended. This was his mom’s boss after all, but leaving the Osiris felt wrong and he really was done with being poked and prodded. He’d already been drilled into that day. Despite that, he felt great! And he didn’t want that to change.
