have there previously been other such complexes?"
Quan replied, "The complex was constructed and became operational 963,287 years ago. Each participant has a nearly identical complex under their control."
I held my hand up towards Frig as I asked another question. "What can you tell us about yourself and the other participants?"
Five minutes of silence soon turned to ten.
Frig spoke. "Sir, that may have been too generalized of a question. Quan’s processors are running at full. I suspect this particular answer may take some time. You may want to find something to occupy your time for a while."
Frig turned back to his holo-display. "Perhaps you are in need of some sleep, Sir. We have a long journey yet in front of us. This may be a good opportunity for you to catch up with a good rest."
Frig was right; I had not slept since Ashley had been swept away by the Duke. I set my sleep timer for twelve hours and made my way back to the bunk room. As I stretched out on my bed, I had a feeling of comfort come over me that I had not felt in a long time. This was my bunk. It was a safe place where I had spent thousands of nights resting. After a single blink of my eyes, I was fast asleep.
Chapter 4
After waking from my sleep, I stepped out into the Swift ’s hold. Frig was seated on the bench near Quan, pulling at a newly constructed BGS suit.
I spoke. "Wow, you were able to modify a suit for your physiology?"
Frig nodded. "Yes, there were a number of changes that had to be made; the bio-gel, the filtering, and nutrition packs all had to be reworked. I was checking the size and the placement of the suit’s pockets, pouches, and panels. I believe it is ready to be filled with the bio-gel."
I replied, "So, I should make every effort to not refill my gel from the tether attached to your chair?"
Frig shook his head as he laughed. "I would not believe that to be safe, Sir. Your liver and kidneys may not be able to properly process the nutrients that would be absorbed by your skin."
I picked up the nutrition pack before Frig placed it on his belt. "One thing I don’t understand, though."
Frig looked up. "And what is that, Sir?"
I laughed as I spoke. "How did you get all those insects crammed into this food pack!"
Frig sighed. "Really, Sir? Is that your best attempt at humor this morning?"
I replied with a grin, "It is!"
Frig grabbed the pack from my hand. "Then I would suggest you get to work on something else, Sir. Your attempt at humor was a feeble one."
I smiled. "Oh, I don’t know, Frig. From what I can see, half of the audience on this vessel absolutely loved it!"
Frig stood and walked to his chair. "Can you hand me the tether, Sir? It is time to fill the suit."
Seconds later, the warm gel began to flow. I was amused by the expressions coming from Frig’s face as he experienced his first fill.
When the process was complete, he looked up at his smiling partner. "What?"
I replied, "How’s it feel?"
Frig squirmed for several seconds before answering. "It is a bit unusual, Sir. I will admit to that."
I laughed. "Well, say goodbye to eating and pooping, my friend. Of everyone I know, I would say you will be the happiest with not having to waste your time on those daily mundane tasks."
Frig replied, "Yes, I suppose I will be."
Several seconds later, Quan began to answer my prior question. "I will begin with my history. I was created by a species who called themselves the Fellen. The Fellen were explorers. Quantums—that would be the name given to us—were valuable experimental tools for use by the scientists of the Fellen. I was of the newest and most intelligent model. While we were on an expedition, an explosion occurred on our ship. The cause remains unknown to me.
"I was thrown into space, with my lower half taking tremendous damage. The remainder of the ship then fell out of orbit around the planet we were exploring and burned up in the atmosphere. I was later collected by a salvage vessel and taken to a
Quan replied, "The complex was constructed and became operational 963,287 years ago. Each participant has a nearly identical complex under their control."
I held my hand up towards Frig as I asked another question. "What can you tell us about yourself and the other participants?"
Five minutes of silence soon turned to ten.
Frig spoke. "Sir, that may have been too generalized of a question. Quan’s processors are running at full. I suspect this particular answer may take some time. You may want to find something to occupy your time for a while."
Frig turned back to his holo-display. "Perhaps you are in need of some sleep, Sir. We have a long journey yet in front of us. This may be a good opportunity for you to catch up with a good rest."
Frig was right; I had not slept since Ashley had been swept away by the Duke. I set my sleep timer for twelve hours and made my way back to the bunk room. As I stretched out on my bed, I had a feeling of comfort come over me that I had not felt in a long time. This was my bunk. It was a safe place where I had spent thousands of nights resting. After a single blink of my eyes, I was fast asleep.
Chapter 4
After waking from my sleep, I stepped out into the Swift ’s hold. Frig was seated on the bench near Quan, pulling at a newly constructed BGS suit.
I spoke. "Wow, you were able to modify a suit for your physiology?"
Frig nodded. "Yes, there were a number of changes that had to be made; the bio-gel, the filtering, and nutrition packs all had to be reworked. I was checking the size and the placement of the suit’s pockets, pouches, and panels. I believe it is ready to be filled with the bio-gel."
I replied, "So, I should make every effort to not refill my gel from the tether attached to your chair?"
Frig shook his head as he laughed. "I would not believe that to be safe, Sir. Your liver and kidneys may not be able to properly process the nutrients that would be absorbed by your skin."
I picked up the nutrition pack before Frig placed it on his belt. "One thing I don’t understand, though."
Frig looked up. "And what is that, Sir?"
I laughed as I spoke. "How did you get all those insects crammed into this food pack!"
Frig sighed. "Really, Sir? Is that your best attempt at humor this morning?"
I replied with a grin, "It is!"
Frig grabbed the pack from my hand. "Then I would suggest you get to work on something else, Sir. Your attempt at humor was a feeble one."
I smiled. "Oh, I don’t know, Frig. From what I can see, half of the audience on this vessel absolutely loved it!"
Frig stood and walked to his chair. "Can you hand me the tether, Sir? It is time to fill the suit."
Seconds later, the warm gel began to flow. I was amused by the expressions coming from Frig’s face as he experienced his first fill.
When the process was complete, he looked up at his smiling partner. "What?"
I replied, "How’s it feel?"
Frig squirmed for several seconds before answering. "It is a bit unusual, Sir. I will admit to that."
I laughed. "Well, say goodbye to eating and pooping, my friend. Of everyone I know, I would say you will be the happiest with not having to waste your time on those daily mundane tasks."
Frig replied, "Yes, I suppose I will be."
Several seconds later, Quan began to answer my prior question. "I will begin with my history. I was created by a species who called themselves the Fellen. The Fellen were explorers. Quantums—that would be the name given to us—were valuable experimental tools for use by the scientists of the Fellen. I was of the newest and most intelligent model. While we were on an expedition, an explosion occurred on our ship. The cause remains unknown to me.
"I was thrown into space, with my lower half taking tremendous damage. The remainder of the ship then fell out of orbit around the planet we were exploring and burned up in the atmosphere. I was later collected by a salvage vessel and taken to a
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