Shadows of Mars (Broken Stars Book 1) I.O. Adler (read people like a book TXT) 📖

She Who Waits spoke crisply. “You wish to reclassify designate Mission Specialist Sylvia Vincent?”

“Yes. She oversaw the Mars orbital, the station circling Mars, the fourth planet of our sun. There were others in charge of the mission. I believe there has been a series of miscommunications. She wasn’t authorized to negotiate. She also took what belongs to you without asking.”

“There is nothing wrong with my translation. Designate Sylvia Vincent was clear about her role.”

“She exaggerated. Her command was only over the orbiting asset of a science mission, with a mission commander above her. On behalf of the people of Earth, I apologize for the misunderstanding.” Again, he bowed. Was this what he had trained for? Did Quantico or Langley or wherever Homeland Security went to school have a Fib to Aliens 101 course with extra credit in mansplaining?

“Designate Sylvia Vincent’s daughter says her sister is in command of this spaceship. She must relinquish control so I may return it.”

“Hold on,” Carmen said. “What do you mean return the ship? Doesn’t it belong to you?”

Agent Barrett was staring daggers at her. Mouthed at her to shut up.

She Who Waits glided closer to the Jenna bot. More diamonds floated beneath the surface of the alien’s shell. “Negative. Designate Sylvia Vincent calls the owners Cordice. I will continue to adhere to her terminology until otherwise corrected. It is they who request the return of their vessel.”

“Why didn’t these Cordice come themselves?”

“Because I am tasked to translate and facilitate communication in their absence. And the Cordice have issues of functionality. Without this vessel they are hindered in movement beyond their home ship.”

Barrett held up a warning hand in Carmen’s direction. “Sylvia Vincent’s daughter Jenna will relinquish control as you request.”

“No, she won’t!” Carmen blurted. It came out too loud. But there was no taking it back. “Jenna, if you’re listening, don’t give up anything. Not yet. Not until we have Mom and a way to get her back home. Look, She Who Waits, Agent Barrett doesn’t speak for me or my sister. If you’re representing this other group of aliens, these Cordice, then tell them what we need. Do they have Sylvia Vincent? Do they have my mom?”

“Designate Sylvia Vincent is aboard their home ship.”

“Then how did she steal this thing?”

“To reiterate, the Cordice have issues of functionality. The caretaker recovered bioforms designates Sylvia Vincent and Hamish Townes from their failed vessel. Sylvia Vincent assumed task functions of a remote unit—a robot—which then assumed control of this spaceship and traveled to Earth.”

Barrett was no longer bowing. “It was wrong for her to steal it. It was a gross mistake. First, Jenna’s going to return control of this ship to these Cordice. Then we humbly ask for you to bring Sylvia Vincent and Hamish Townes to us and take us home. Jenna, please disconnect yourself.”

“No,” Carmen said. “Jen, don’t do that yet.”

“That’s enough out of you. We have to give them their ship back. It doesn’t belong to us. It’s the only way we get your mother home.”

“She Who Waits hasn’t told us everything. Like why didn’t these Cordice return Mom and Hamish after saving them? Why didn’t they at least send a message they were okay? Is my mom a prisoner? Is that why she had to steal the spaceship?”

She Who Waits spoke in a gentle tone. “I sense discord.”

“We need answers before anyone does anything.”

The alien’s colors went a darker brown for a moment. “When designate Sylvia Vincent made it to the Cordice home ship along with designate Hamish Townes, both bioforms were damaged. The Cordice caretaker preserved their consciousness along with their neural net matrix in their mainframe.”

“You mean like how me and Jenna were placed inside the robots? What about their bodies?”

“I do not know their bioforms’ condition. Preserved if possible.”

“But they’re alive inside this mainframe? Like inside a computer?”

“An acceptable analogy. The Cordice are accomplished engineers and designers. It has preserved them and allows them to benefit others who likewise might have suffered death. But their ship requires large amounts of resources and power. Power requires fuel. And this ship is what is needed to gather fuel. It must be returned. That is the wish of the Cordice.”

“So her mind is still alive. Is she trapped? Why did she ask for me and Jenna to save her?”

“I do not have the answers.”

“But the Cordice do. Will they release her if we surrender the ship?”

“I do not know. I do not know if it’s possible due to her bioform’s condition.”

Agent Barrett had been waiting patiently. “Carmen, ask your sister to disconnect. We have to give the ship back. We’ll figure out how to get Hamish and your mom. But it needs to start with returning control.”

“Jen, have you been listening?” Carmen asked.

The Jenna bot came to life. “I’ve been looking for her. It’s like a maze of lights some distance away. I saw where Mom went, but the connection is closed or broken.”

“You’ve been in there too long. Come back. Unplug. Can you do that?”

The bot’s head monitor went dark. On the couch, Jenna began to stir. Carmen went to her side. Her sister looked pasty. Then she turned her head and vomited onto the floor. When she was done she was too weak to sit up.

“It’s okay,” Carmen said. “I’ve been wanting to do that since this trip started. You look exhausted.”

“So thirsty. Look what I made.”

A sink identical to the one in the restroom had appeared. With a blurp the faucet began to trickle water.

“I couldn’t figure out how to make cups though.”

“You did fine. Let me help you.”

Carmen got Jenna up. It took her sister a moment to be able to stand and she leaned heavy as Carmen brought her to take a