*** Part 1 ***

Respite was a shit-hole.

Garbage lined the corridors of the station and the air had a dank, malodourous taste that coated the tongue and caught in the back of Corr's throat even through the breathing mask that hid his features as he made his way to the rendezvous. He stepped over the sleeping form of a derelict that was lying on the floor before him. The lights in this section of the station were poor and cast a palid glow over everything in their vicinity.

"Who names these places anyway?", he thought, "Respite? You have to be kidding me! More like 'Midden'."

Corr was on Respite to meet his contact. He had been approached a month ago while in the Darver system by a Corp fixer who had offered a meet fee, no questions asked, to travel to Respite to pick up a contract. The meet fee was a standard cost cover offered to operatives like Corr as an incentive to travel to a meet.

Corr approached the rendesvous point for the meet. He had earlier scoped out the location to note any possible dangers. There were none. At least, none that he could identify. It looked like the meet was being set up by the book. He approached the junction of two corridors where the meet was to happen and he could see the outline of someone waiting. He continued his steady pace and kept his hands in the open, away from his sidearm. The contact ahead slowly removed his left hand from the recesses of the cloak he was wearing and as Corr drew near he could see that the hand held a small satchel.

The hand-off was quick and smoothly done. Then the contact was gone, back down the corridor in the direction that Corr had come from. Corr slid the satchel into his own cloak and continued his unhurried walk onwards through Respite.

Half an hour later Corr was back on board his Ferris Corp manufactured vessel. It was a smallish craft with the class designation of Light Freighter. Ferris Corp branded it the FC-2900lf and had designed it for medium length hops. The FC-2900lf could carry a modest amount of cargo, and had enough space for two crew. Corr preferred his own company and only used the second berth if he was doing a body run. The vessel had no weaponry to speak of except for a small beam laser that could be used to cut metal and aid in salvage efforts. The laser would be useless in any combat situations. However the FC-2900lf did not depend on weaponry to stay safe. Instead Corr had purchased the option which allowed the vessel to mimic a small asteroid. This option, called the Tumbler, could fake the radar return from a silicoln based asteroid and could also instruct the ship's AI to "tumble" the ship so that to a close observer it looked like an asteroid spinning slowly in space. This tumbling was enhanced by some cleavour camoflage and lighting that would further enhance the effect.

Corr hadn't bothered giving the vessel a name preferring the anonymity that came with the encoded serial code uniquely identifying his vessel among all the other FC-2900lf vessels meandering between the stars.

On the console in front of him lay the satchel he had been handed a short while earlier. He unzipped the top and opened it up to see what was inside. There was a credit note; a holo-disc; and a small box, about the size of a cigarette pack.

The credit note was a standard untraceable deposit order for 750,000 credits. An unusually high sum that would boost his accounts nicely. His vessel would need some routine maintenance soon and this job would cover those costs easily as well as allow for some small enhancements to his shield and navigation systems.

Corr slid the holo-disc into the player on his console and a short 10 second message was displayed. The image displayed a star-map and then zoomed in on the New Tokyo system before coming to rest on a station orbiting one of the planets. The name of the station was displayed for Corr to read. "Kurashi Dynamics - 15 (KD-15)", obviously named after the corporation that was to be his target. And then the projection was complete and the holo-disk auto-ejected from his console. Corr tossed it immediately into the trash ejector where it would be purged into the intense heat of his engine exhaust when he was underway.

That left the small box. Corr placed it onto the console in front of him and pushed the tip of his index finger into the slight depression on the side of the box. The box immediately reacted to his touch and opened to display a digital timer which slowly counted down as he watched. It had just over five galactic standard days before it would reach zero. The timer was sitting on top of a secondary compartment made from some clear, glass-like material, which contained what looked like a whirling gas.

Corr's breath caught in his throat as he realised what he was looking at. It was a nano-bomb and that he had it aboard his ship was reason enough for the unusually high fee he was being paid for this job. The gas inside the box was made up of thousands of microscopic nano-machines. Each one capable of autonomous movement and, presumably, replication. Corr's heart beat rose dramatically as he knew that what he had brought onto his ship was capable of any number of outcomes depending on what the nano-machines were programmed to do. He recalled the vid-news story from a few years ago where a containment breach in a nano-research laboratory had resulted in a nano-bloom had totally destroyed the research station in the Cermantic system. Over 150 people had lost their lives. And he had also heard whispers that nano-technology was being used to invisibly mark and track all visitors to the core systems.

If the nano-bomb before him was programmed for destructive replication then it was more than capable of destroying his vessel, the station that he was docked at and anything that was unlucky enough to be caught in the nano-bloom that would result if the bomb was detonated. A device like this was illegal throughout the galaxy and possession was enough to warrant an instant death sentence if caught.

So this was to be a delivery mission. No delivery contact had been provided which meant he had to get the nano-bomb onto KD-15 and then get clear before the timer detonated.

Again he pressed his index finger into the small depression on the side of the box and it closed at his touch. Corr picked up the box, placed it back into the satchel and zipped it closed. He then put the satchel into one of the small storage lockers behind the cosole.

He would need a legitimate reason to travel to New Tokyo. Kurashi Dynamics was a massive corporation that manufactured all manner of heavy machinery for use both on and off-planet. The station that was to be the target of the nano-bomb would most likely have a permanent buy-order out for various food stuffs. Corr checked that by logging into the GalTrade commodity broking system and noted that KD-15 was asking for delivery of basic foods such as rice and proteins as well as some luxury goods such as alcohol and legal recreational drugs. Corr flicked over to view what was being offered via a sell-order at Respite. Despite its run-down and dingy state, Respite was a hub for the trade of alcohol. Corr noted that there were several suitable sell-orders for beer and spirits that he could purchase and then transport to New Tokyo.

Corr placed his own buy-orders for the alcohol and two hours later his cargo had been loaded aboard his vessel. Corr filed his flight plan for the three day cruise to New Tokyo. He then ordered the ship's AI to pay his outstanding berthing fees and begin launch procedures.

The trip to New Tokyo would take Corr through a number of highly patrolled jurisdictions so he had little to worry about from pirates and corsairs. His main worry would be the law enorcement patrols and, as he got closer to New Tokyo, the corporate navy patrols.

*** To be continued ***

*** Part 2 ***

Three uneventful, dull days later Corr's Ferris Corp entered the central control zone at New Tokyo. Half an hour later he was hailed by a Navy Corp vessel.

"Civilian vessel FC-2900lf this is Kurashi Corp Navy enforcement vessel KC133f, please stand to, and await a security scan".

Corr keyed his transmit button and replied, "Understood KC133f. FC-2900lf complying with your request." He then immediately instructed the ship's AI to reduce power to idle and to maintain heading.

Corr glanced over at the compartment where his secret cargo was stored. He would know very soon if the modifications he had installed a few months ago to allow him to carry contraband in small quantities undetected had been worth the credits.

A few seconds later he had his answer.

"Civilian vessel FC-2900lf, your flight plan indicates KD-15 as your destination. Please confirm and state your cargo."

Again Corr keyed his transmit button.

"KC133f, I confirm that KD-15 is my destination. I am carrying cargo to fulfil buy orders on the station. The cargo is comprised of 2 standard shipment units of medium strength alcohol. Purchase order receipts for the alcohol are registered with GalTrade under receipt number ST-R-00100223-45A5FD-ZAA12."

"Civilian vessel FC-2900lf, that checks out. Thankyou for your cooperation. Please proceed on your planned trajectory. Have a good day. KC133f out."

"Same to you Kurashi Corp, FC-2900lf out."

Corr breathed a sigh of relief and instructed the ship's AI to resume their journey to KD-15.

As the engines powered back up from idle the thought of what he might be about to release upon the unsuspecting inhabitants of KD-15 briefly crossed his mind. The most obvious design for the nano-bomb was for destructive replication. The potential loss of life didn't bother Corr overly. But the question of why KD-15 was being targeted had begun to nag at him. All his research into Kurashi Dynamics, the New Tokyo system and particularly KD-15 had revealed no clues as to the purpose of his mission.

Again Corr pondered what he was contracted to do. It was highly unlikely that the device carried information gathering nano-bots. There were less expensive ways to carry out corporate espionage, and in any case KD-15 was not producing emergent tech of any kind. Rather it was mass producing planet-based food harvesting machines and simple autonomous asteroid mining bots. Not your typical target for corporate espionage. It was also puzzling why a corporate enemy would target a minor production station of such a large corporation. There were many more obvious targets that would reap more worthwhile corporate secrets or who's destruction would have a greater impact on Kurashi Dynamics operations. It was a puzzle indeed, and one that was beginning to raise a spectre of doubt as to the purpose of the operation.

Nonetheless he was being well paid for the job and he would see it through.

For next few hours he idly watched his monitors as his vessel drew closer to its destination. KD-15 orbited the second planet in the New Tokyo system. Judging by its distance from the sun there was no chance that the planet harboured life of any kind. Most probably Kurashi Dynamics had some ore mines on the surface or was harvesting the atmosphere for some specific gas. Neither gave Corr any clue as to the reason for targeting KD-15.

Finally the ship's AI announced that they were on approach to KD-15. Corr switched his mind back to the task of docking with the station.

"AI, Please negotiate remote docking protocols with KD-15".

"Complying", the AI responded.

A few seconds later the Ai reported "Docking protocols established. External command and control granted."

While the ship was still a hundred kilometres from the station Corr heard the engines power down to idle once again and he was hailed by the docking master.

"Civilian vessel FC-2900lf, welcome to KD-15. There will be a short delay to your docking, sorry for the inconvenience."

Corr keyed his transmit button, "Thanks for the welcome KD-15. Why the hold-up?"

"FC-2900lf, we have some security processes that have just been implemented and we are dealing with a backlog of arrivals and departures as a result. Your wait should be no more than 5 or 6 hours. Again, sorry for the delay."

"Thanks KD-15, don't suppose you can tell me why the new security measures are in place?"

"Sorry FC-2900lf. Don't know myself."

"OK. Call me when you need to. FC-2900lf out."

"KD-15 out."

Corr's mind raced. Surely this was no coincidence. Enhanced security just as he arrived with his ... package.

"Dammit!", Corr exclaimed, "Just have to wait it out. Hope it doesn't take much longer though."

His thoughts pictured the timer on the nano-bomb slowly ticking down towards zero. It certainly wasn't going to wait for security measures, and there was now just under 1 galactic standard day left.

*** To be continued ***

*** Part 3 ***

The hours passed by very slowly. Corr tried to distract himself from the thought of the timer ticking inexorably down to zero on the nano-bomb by digging further into the information available on the public web feeds about Kurashi Dynamics and in particular KD-15.

Kurashi Dynamics: Public Company
Majority Owner: Hentai Schumann Kurashi III, 72% Prime Stock Ownership
Corporate Controller: Hentai Schumann Kurashi III
Corporate Headquarters: Honshu System
Galactic Stock Reference: HS-001010-KD333442-F-A
Galactic Stock Price: Now --> 12.3344, -5 days --> 12.4434, -10 days --> 12.3984, -12 months --> 12.3119
Predominant Industry Focus: Manufacturing/Mining

And so it went on. Mundane, dull and totally absent of any clue as to why the organisation and KD-15 would be targeted.

Eventually Corr gave up and retired to one of the sleeping berths to try catch a few hours sleep. He was confident that the ship's AI would awaken him when required.

But it was impossible to get any sleep. It was as if the timer on the nano-bomb had an audible tick that echoed through the ship's hull.

Finally, after just over eight hours had passed the AI announced their docking had been approved.

"8 hours!" Corr thought. "So much for 5 or 6. Damnable bureaucracy!"

The ship moved slowly into position, closing the 100 kilometre distance to the station in an interminable 90 minutes. At long last Corr heard and felt the docking collar on his FC-2900lf mate with that of the station.

"Civilian vessel FC-2900lf, you are now docked with Kurashi Dynamics manufacturing station KD-15. If you have any business you wish to transact please instruct your ship AI to reference the station commodity trades and to comply with GalTrade regulations for reporting and tax purposes."

Corr keyed the transmit button and replied "Thankyou KD-15. Can I get a visitation permit as I have been cooped up on board this thing for a few days an need to stretch my legs?"

"Sure thing FC-2900lf - Please transmit your ID and we'll send you your authorisation when our security checks are completed."

"Thanks again KD-14", Corr replied, "I sure am looking forward to a walk where I don't have to turn around every 4 metres."

"Hah!", chortled the docking master, "I'm an old spacer myself. I know exactly what you mean. We have a public bar on station, so feel free to drop in there for a drink.

KD-15 out."

"Sounds very good. FC-2900lf out."

Corr cut the comms link and ordered the ship AI to complete the trades he had set up a few days ago on Respite.

He also ordered it to provide his ID to the KD-15 security interface. The Standard Galactic ID that Corr was currently using belonged to a middle aged man from somewhere several light years away. He knew the the true owner was not involved in trading, funds transfer or any illegal activities, which had made him the perfect target for identity theft. In a few weeks Corr would dump this ID and pick up another one. And so it went. Over the past few years Corr had made use of thirty or so IDs from various individuals, the most interesting being that of a trans-gender dancer with a preference for pink alcoholic drinks and tight pants. Luckily this sort of identity theft, carried out over distances measured in light years, did not require Corr to imitate the true owner of the ID.

While he awaited his visitation permit and also the sale of his alcohol to KD-15 Corr perused the station sell-orders. He needed to maintain the cover of a trader so he placed two buy-orders for asteroid mining equipment. A litte while later the ship AI informed him that the GalTrade network had confirmed the sale of the alcohol and that the cargo bays had been emptied by remote un-manned logistics bots. The AI informed him that the profit from the transaction when taking into account the taxes, fuel costs and docking fees was just over 5%. Not a huge amount as expected from such a risk-free trade. But, as a trader, if you were willing to work very hard you could just about live off a small profit margin of 5%. Just.

Corr hoped that the station would then supply the mining equipment quickly which would allow him immediate departure from the station after he had delivered the nano-bomb.

The AI then informed him that his visitation permit had been provided and was tagged to his ID and to the ship ID. It also started to reel off all the station rules and regulations, including the order that no sidearms were permitted.

He prepared for his visit to the station. He checked the station's air rating and it was rated 8/10. No need for a breathing mask. He grabbed his cloak from his clothes locker and placed his faked ID card into one of the pockets. He then turned to the small storage locker where the satchel and nano-bomb were waiting. He opened the locker and lifted out the satchel. Quickly he unzipped it and removed the nano-bomb. He opened the device and checked the remaining time left on the counter. As he watched the counter it reached 12 hours. Corr checked his watch and set its alarm for 12 hours time.

Corr calculated, "One hour to wander about stretching my legs so that I look the part; another hour to find a good place to hide the damn bomb; another two hours in the bar; then back on board my ship and we wait in line to leave the station. That is if the buy-orders for the mining equipment have been supplied. I hope its enough time!"

He closed the device and placed it back into the satchel. He then grabbed a razor, a comb, a small towel and some soap and pushed those on top of the small box in the satchel to hide it from cursory examination. It was time to go.

Corr triggered the opening of the air lock and as he felt himself leave his ship's artificial gravity he began to pull himself along the short 5 metre docking tube.

Reaching the end he moved through into the station and felt it's artificial gravity take effect. Gathering his bearings he noted the closed hatch which would lead to the interior of the station.

Corr moved over to the hatch and pressed the call button. Through a small grimy window he could see a security guard making his way toward him. The hatch opened and Corr stepped into KD-15. The guard held out an ID scanner and Corr tapped it with the faked ID card he retrieved from his cloak pocket.

The guard glanced at the readout on the scanner.

"Bag?" the guard asked in a bored tone.

Corr unzipped the satchel and opened it to show the guard the toiletries that were inside.

The guard then pointed down the corridor and said "Bar's that way, just past it is some public bathrooms. Don't cause any trouble."

"Thanks", said Corr. He then zipped up the satchel and headed in the direction the guard had indicated.

He spent the next hour wandering along the passageways that were open to public access on the station. He noted the location of the bar and also the public bathrooms. He decided that the bathrooms would be a good place to hide his special delivery.

Corr walked back to the bathrooms and checked to make sure that he was alone. There was noone in there so he had a look around for a good place to hide the satchel. One of the shower stalls was directly below an air vent that formed part of the air purification and de-humidification system on the station. If he could get the device into the air vent then it was highly unlikely to be discovered any time soon. Corr entered the shower stall and closed the door behind him. Just as the door closed he heard the bathroom door open and someone entered the shower stall two doors down. Corr rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Just my luck", he thought. "Better act the part and have a shower and shave I guess."

Corr took his time, and just as he was finishing his shower he heard the other person leave the bathroom. Quickly Corr dried himself off and got dressed. He then took the nano-bomb out of the satchel and clasped it carefully between his teeth. Then, using the shower head and taps for footholds, he climbed up to the air vent. He quickly pushed the cover open a few centimetres and using one hand he slid the nano-bomb as far as he could into the duct. He then replaced the vent cover and dropped to the floor.

"Package delivered", he thought. "Time for a drink and then I get out of here!" Corr could feel his heart racing with the thought of what he had done, and what it may mean for this station and the people it housed.

Two hours later Corr was back onboard his Ferris Corp freighter. He checked his watch. 7 hours left.

He checked his cargo and saw that the mining equipment had been delivered an hour ago. It was time to go.

He ordered the AI to commence departure procedures.

The KD-15 docking master wished him a safe journey and slowly the station dwinded in size on the monitors.

By the time Corr's vessel crossed out of New Tokyo's central control zone there was only a few minutes left before the bomb was due to detonate; and of the bottle of scotch he had purchased from the bar on KD-15 less than a quarter remained. Corr watched the seconds tick away. He felt as if each one was shaving away a fraction of his soul.

"Damn and blast!", he shouted, took off his watch and flung it across the small cabin of the freigher where it hit the bulkhead and fell down behind his bunk.

The last seconds ticked away.

*** To be continued ***

*** Part 4 ***

Corr's watch alarm beeped.

On KD-15, in the air duct, the microprocessor in the nano-bomb registered the change in the on-chip clock that controlled the timer display. 2 milliseconds later a minute electronic pulse travelled down a microscopically tiny wire triggering a change in state of a register. This in turn triggered a sequence of microcode instructions that controlled a small actuator beneath the timer display. 10 milliseconds after the initial clock change the actuator fired pushing a fine hollow needle through the top of the secondary box containng the nano-machines. For a long second nothing happened but then the generation 0 nano-robots detected the change in their environment and began converging on the needle. 15 seconds later the metal that the needle was made of had been broken down into collections of 3 or 4 atoms and ingested by several thousand nano-robots which then began their replication process. Generation 1 was being born.

Other nano-robots continued to break down the portion of the needle that was outside the containment box, as well as the microprocessor board, and the timer. Within 3 minutes of the original 6,500 nano-robots, 438 had failed to replicate successfully, 5,940 had replicated once, 108 had replicated twice and 14 had managed to replicate three times. The total number of active nano-robots had swelled to 12,698 and unless the nano-robots were limited by built in redundency the life of KD-15 was now to be measured as less than 90 minutes.

4 minutes after detonation an observer looking at the nano-robots would have seen what looked like a gently heaving mass of grey dust which spread slowly across the floor of the duct and towards the vent opening. At the same time the nano-robots were disintegrating the duct metals and supports below.

6 minutes after detonation the number of nano-robots had swolen to 24,806 and this number would roughly double every 3 minutes in an exponential growth rate that, unchecked, would see the creation of approximately 25 trillion nano-robots 90 minutes after detonation. Of couse there would be some attrition along the way as well as a level of cannibalism. But that would not be enough to significantly delay the progression of the nano-bloom. The fate of KD-15 was sealed.

The first life-form to encounter the nano-bloom manifesting within KD-15 was a small insect. It failed to recognise the threat as the bloom slowly moved toward it and despite desperate attempts to scuttle away when the first nano-robot latched onto a feeler the insect was consumed within a few seconds as the bloom seethed over it.

33 minutes after detonation the nano-bloom breached the living quarters of a sleeping janitor. It crept down the wall consuming material and replicating as it moved before sliding onto his sleeping pallette The janitor experienced several seconds of terror and pain as the bloom consumed first his left shoulder, then ear, skull and finally enough brain matter to render unconsciousness followed by death in short order.
So far no significant systems had been affected and, with the exception of the dead janitor whose component molecules were now helping to feed the growth of the bloom, life aboard KD-15 continued on blissfully unaware that the station was dying.

63 minutes after detonation the number of nano-robots in the bloom had swollen to almost 10 billion. The bloom was spreading along structural elements of KD-19 and weakening the integrity of the station. So far the bloom had spread around a radius of 55 metres from the origin. It was at this point that the first major failure in the station's systems was noticed. The bloom encountered and devoured a communications cable that linked an external view camera to central station control. This caused an automated warning to be lit up on the control panel. The technician on duty noted the failure in the station log and cancelled the warning. A duty repair crew would get around to fixing the fault in the next day or so. Except of course that they would all be dead before that point. Sadly this was the last opportunity that the station was to be given to raise a general alarm that would perhaps allow a few lucky souls to escape their fate. The station now had less than half an hour of life remaining.

In rapid succession a number of station systems began to report fault after fault, overwhelming the technician on duty. As light after light lit up on the overhead station schematic and warning tone after warning tone was sounded from several speakers around his console he froze with indecision and panic. Finally he hit the General Alarm and an automated evacuation warning was routed to the general comms routines. These comms routines sent out their messages to the local comms devices in each of the station pods. They were all routed via the station central core. 5 seconds before the messages were sent the central core system was invaded by the bloom and enough damage was done in those few seconds to cause it to fail as well.

72 minutes after detonation the death toll had risen to 15. Most of these were indirect deaths caused by the hull breach in a section of the station housing visitors and temporary staff. The bloom burst through the shell of KD-15 causing depressurisation and almost instant death of people in the area affected.

At 73 minutes Generation 0 and Generation 1 nano-robots began to fail and contribute their minute mass to the feeding of the bloom.

At 78 minutes the bloom breached the last untouched section of the station. The docking control deck had lost power 4 minutes earlier and the docking control officer who had been frantically trying the figure out what was going on died screaming into his breathing mask as a blanket of nano-robots covered and devoured him.

KD-15 was dead.

*** To be continued ***

I have to say I am really enjoying this read. It's a nice relief from sci-fi blast em' up and warp out etc. I particularly enjoy the small details that add up to vibrance of the main character.

Keep writing - can't wait for part 3!

*** Part 5 ***

The insistent tone of his ship's proximity warning woke Corr from his sleep. Corr had fallen asleep at the console and his neck was aching from the awkward position his head had lain. He sat up straighter in his seat and his left foot kicked the empty bottle of scotch under his seat. It spun on it's axis a few times as Corr forced his fuzzy head to concentrate and take in what was going on.

Reaching forward he touched a button which cancelled the alarm. He noted that the comms system was registering multiple attempts by an external party to establish contact. He then brought up his ship's external view monitors. The cause of the proximity alarm was obvious. A large vessel, probably a carrier, was positioned to his right and to his left was a pair of small craft. Corr focussed the viewing camera on the small craft and zoomed in. He could make out the weaponry mounted on both of the vessels which made them fighters of some sort. Probably interceptors. Fast, not overly manouverable, but bristling with medium range beam weapons and most likely several missiles. There were no other markings that he could see.

His attention switched the larger carrier as a fourth vessel appeared from behind it. This vessel approached and as he watched he saw a docking collar begin to extend as it approached the top of his craft.

"Oh dear - This is not good", he thought.

Quickly Corr thumbed his transmit button.

"Unknown craft, this is FC1900lf, sorry for the deay in answering but I was asleep. Please state your intention."

The answer was swift.

"FC1900lf, maintain course and speed. You are to be boarded."

"Unknown craft, please identify yourself."

There was no answer.

Flight was out of the question. His craft would be no match in speed for the interceptors and in any case the large weapons on the carrier would only require one hit and he would be vapour.

Corr had been arrested several times before. These arrests were all for minor infractions of some local system laws. These had all been dealt with in minutes as his vessel had been approached by a local system cop and after the fine, for whatever minor violation he had committed, had been paid he was free to go on his way. Just a cost of doing business in some jurisdictions. Revenue raising it was called by some. Bribery by others. This was neither. This was serious.

There was no doubt in Corr's mind that this had something to do with the events on KD-15.

"AI - Wipe logs from the past 160 hours."

That would remove some of the trail that tied to Corr to KD-15.

The AI responded. "Log wiped."

"AI - Enact shutdown procedures and engage voice recognition and bio-neurologic security precautions. My voice the key, my DNA the password."

Again the AI responded. "Shutdown commenced, security protocols enacted."

Corr forced himself to stay calm. The AI log was wiped. The AI was in the process of shutting down and could only be restarted by his physical presence and voice.

His ship lurched as the docking collar made contact. He could hear the mating mechanism whirring as the contact was sealed.

"FC1900lf, grant access to boarding team or you will be boarded forcibly."

Corr sighed and replied. "Complying."

A forced boarding would cause a great deal of damage to this ship and possibly himself. He had no choice.

Corr reached out and flicked the switch that released the locking mechanism on the hatch.

Corr pondered what else was there that could tie him directly to KD-15. There was the cargo of course. But with the AI locked down there was no way to prove that the machinery had come directly from there.

Immediately he heard the door mechanism on the hatch operate and felt a slight pressure loss as the seal was broken. The hatch opened inwards and two small egg-sized objects emerged and landed on the deck in front of him. There was a loud bang and everything turned white forcing Corr to close his eyes. Corr's ear's hissed with a deafening white noise and he lurched forward onto the floor before him hands clasped to the side of his head in agony.

Blinded and deafened he saw and heard nothing else. He felt his hands ripped from his head and forcibly wrenched behind his back and manacled together. He then felt a cold metallic object touch the side of his neck followed by a sharp pain. As the injected drug took effect Corr felt hands roughly lift him up by the arms.

As his thoughts began to dim Corr remembered his watch. He had thrown it across the cabin earlier. The watch had the alarm set for the exact time the nano-bomb had detonated.

"Oh crap!", he thought.

And his vision closed down to a point of light, and then that light went out.

*** To be continued ***

*** Part 6 ***

Consciousness returned slowly.

Corr was unable to open his eyes. Something was holding them closed. He could move his head about two millimetres from side to side and could feel pressure on his temples that increased when he tried to move.

Corr tried to move his arms. Like his head, they were firmly held in place. It was the same with his legs and feet. He could feel several restraining bands of around his torso and hips holding him flat.

As his awareness returned, his understanding that he was completely helpless grew. So did his fear. Who had taken his ship and captured him? Who was it that was holding him prisoner. And what did they intend to do with him?

Corr's mouth was dry and tasted, as if it had been used as a breeding pen for small rodents.

"Is there anyone there?", he croaked, his voice rasping and harsh.

Silence answered.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

Time passed. Whether quickly or slowly Corr could not tell. He heard no sound except for that of his breathing and his own voice when he called out every now and again.

"We have your watch."

The voice startled Corr and he could feel the warm breath of whoever had spken it tickle his left ear.

It continued. Reasonable and quiet. "Tell me. Were you on KD-15 in the Kurashi System recently?"

"Who are you?" said Corr.

"Answer the question please. Were you on on KD-15 in the Kurashi System recently?"

"No. Why did you board my ship?"

"I will ask you to only tell the truth or there will be consequences. Answer the question please. Were you on on KD-15 in the Kurashi System recently?"

"No I was not."

And the pain began. It radiated from his temples and through his closed eyes and bounced around his skull like a rubber-ball in a barrel.

Corr screamed as his body tried to twist in its restraints.

The pain lasted for what seemed like hours and then it was gone.

Corr drew ragged breath as his muscles, clenched due to the pain, slowly relaxed. He could feel sweat cool his body and run in trickes down his cheeks.

"Answer the question please. Were you on on KD-15 in the Kurashi System recently?"

"Yes!" Corr heard himself blurt our between clenched teeth.

"Thankyou", said the voice quietly, "Please remember the consequence of falsehood."

"Did you deliver a small package from Respite to KD-15?"

"No, I was just delivering alcoho.. Aaaarrrrggghhhh!!!".

This time the pain was even more intense. Corr clenched his teeth together in response as spasm after spasm rippled through his body. A tooth cracked from the pressure and then the pain was gone.

Corr drew ragged breaths and as soon as he was able he managed to spit the fragment of tooth from his mouth.

"I will ask you the questions for as long as it takes you to provide me with the answers. Did you deliver a small package from Respite to KD-15?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" whimpered Corr. "A person handed me the package on Respite and there were instructions inside telling me to take it to KD-15. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Thankyou", said the voice quietly. "I think we can remove the eye coverings and the head restraint now."

There was a small flurry of activity and suddenly the pressure on his head was gone. Corr opened his eyes. He was lying on his back and above him he could see some monitors and equipment. The room was dimply lit and he could make out a shadowy figure standing next to him.

Except for the sore tooth, aching muscles and the small bruises where he had twisted against the restraints covering the rest of his body, the pain was fading fast leaving only a distant memory.

The shadowy figure drew a little closer.

"You may not be aware but over the past 40 hours 17 stations and 12 ground based production facilities throughout the confederation have been attacked. We estimate that the attacks have killed 12,000 people. The attacks have been broad based and the targets have no discernable pattern to them. We have captured or killed 43 of the sabouteurs. In all cases nano-technology has been used."

The figure paused to let the enormity of what Corr had been a part of sink in.

The figure then placed an object down onto a steel tray table that was next to the restraint table that Corr was lying on. He could see it was his watch. The figure then pushed the tray table up against the side of the retraint table so that the watch was within easy sight.

"I am sure you understand that mere possession of nano-tech weaponry in any form is punishable by death. Your sentence has already been pronounced and you are to be executed in 18 hours."

The figure turned and moved out of Corr's line of sight.

"Wait!", he called, "Wait!"

There was no response. Instead Corr heard a door open then close and then there was just the sound of his heart beating in his ears.

So he was going to die. He thought he had been clever enough to cover his tracks but somehow he had been careless enough to leave some small clues behind, or to leave an electronic trace through the Gal-trade network that pointed him out as the person who had attacked KD-15.

He was going to die.

He looked at the watch and could see that a timer was ticking down. It read 17:58. As he watched the display changed to 17:57.

His life was slipping away one minute at a time.

He was going to die.

*** To be continued ***

*** Part 7 ***

The cold hard metal surface that Corr was strapped to made his shoulders and hips ache. The lights were dimmed but the individual glare of each LED was enough to force him to close his eyes if he stared too long.

With his eyes closed Corr began a series of breathing exercises designed to calm his body and relax his mind. As his heart rate slowed and his breathing became deeper Corr focused on his recent life and his memory took him back to KD-15 and from there to Respite and there the progression stopped. Corr’s brow furrowed slightly as he tried to retrace his movement prior to Respite. He could remember people, places, systems, ships, and small events and occurrences but they seemed unconnected except for a definite timeline. He could not remember the path he had taken to get to Respite. But he could remember departing from the Darver system a month prior to arriving on Respite but the journey was a blank to his recollection. He could not remember his route, or any events that happened during the 28 days of travel.

Could the pain he had been subjected to a short while ago have scrambled his brain and destroyed his memory?

Contemplation on that question and the struggle to remember the connecting episodes of his life were suddenly interrupted by a distant sequence of three explosions and Corr felt the surface he was laying on shake as the violence of the explosions affected the ship he was on. He heard sirens and the lights in the room flickered.

Corr struggled vainly against the restraints that held him down but to no avail. All he managed to do was hurt his hips, ankles and wrists from the pressure of the bands holding him. He began to feel a surge of panic. It caused his heart to begin racing and his breathing to become shallower. His eyes darted frantically about the dimly lit room.

Outside the room, from some distance away, he could hear some more, smaller, explosions and shouted commands and raised voices. Over the next minute or so the noise of the explosions became clearer and closer, resolving into gunfire that steadily decreased in intensity until it stopped completely.

Corr craned his head up and tried to see the door. There was a muted hiss as it opened and he caught a glimpse of a figure making its way into the room. The figure moved slowly and purposely over to where Corr was restrained and as it did he could see it more clearly. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, but its outline shifted and wavered as if it was cloth affected by a gentle breeze. Corr could see traces of translucency that moved across the center of the figure.

The figure reached Corr’s side. Suddenly a sound like an electronic hiss came from the figure. A steady stream of static and white noise that began to modulate in volume and pitch until Corr could understand that the figure was speaking to him. The noise quickly resolved itself into words and the semblance of sentences.

… survival paramount … defense of whole … respect the entity … rejoin … encompass all thought … return that which was … parasitic destruction ended … rejoin …

The words meant little to Corr but as he heard them his panic levels began to drop. His heart rate slowed down and his breathing became more controlled.

“Can you free me?”

The sound coming from the figure faded away to a background hiss that was barely perceptible.

“I need to get out of here; they are going to kill me! Can you free me?”

The figure extended an arm and one by one touched the restraints holding Corr down. One by one they released and as soon as he was able Corr rolled away from the figure and onto the floor where he struggled to stand.

“What are you?”

There was no response.

“I mean, thank you for freeing me and all that. But what do you want? And who are you?”

At this the figure drew back slightly, as if to reassure Corr that it meant him no harm. The figures arm moved slowly up and Corr could see it was holding a gently glowing ball that looked very similar to substance that made up the creature. The ball began to glow with a brighter light and the figure slowly extended the arm that was holding it toward Corr.

The noise began again and again resolved itself into words that Corr could understand.

… return to consciousness … rejoin … hear us … gift of memory … take … rejoin …

The ball was now glowing brightly enough to make it difficult to look at. But Corr saw it lift off the open hand of the figure and begin to float gently toward him. The light began to slowly pulse as it came to a rest an arm’s length from where Corr was standing.

… take … rejoin …

Again he heard the words. They sounded calming and the slowly pulsing light from the ball drew Corr’s gaze deeper within it. He raised his right hand towards the ball and extended a finger to touch it. Corr’s forefinger made contact with the surface of the ball and slid past it into the interior as if it was a gas.

The ball changed.

It quickly changed shape, wrapping itself about his finger and then his hand and wrist until it looked like a surgical glove. Corr reflexively pulled his hand back as the ball changed but he was too slow. With his other hand he tried to brush the substance off but it was stuck to his skin and would not move.

“What is this crap!”, he exclaimed, and he looked away from his hand to the figure standing on the other side of where Corr had been restrained.

“What is this? Get it off me!”

Again words resolved out of the hiss and white noise.

… family … rejoined and whole … welcome … welcome …

The words became fainter.

… welcome … welcome … wel …

And then they were silent and the noise stopped. The figure shimmered one last time and then, like smoke disturbed by a gust of wind, dissipated, faded and was gone.

Immediately Corr felt a myriad of sharp needle pricks on his covered hand which caused him to yelp with pain and shake his arm as if that would dislodge the strange glove.

And then the pain was gone. And so was the glove. Corr looked at his hand and in the dim light he could see a series of red trails on his wrist that travelled slowly up his arm as he watched. He could feel something making its way up his arm. It wasn’t painful, just slightly un-pleasant. A few seconds later the unpleasantness faded, along with the light in the room as Corr’s consciousness deserted him.

*** To be continued ***

*** Part 8 ***
Awareness returned. Different. Expanded.

Awareness bounded not by sight or distance but simply by presence. Consciousness was enhanced and the limits of what that consciousness was could be felt as an extension beyond the biological boundaries of the physical entity. It moved as one in a large number of locations separated by vast distance and yet there was a distinction of thought as if a collection of beings contributed seamlessly to the whole. Darkness or light, heat or cold, hunger, thirst, desire. All feelings and emotions shared and considered, appreciated, and embraced.

The consciousness was aware of the being called Corr, but it had no perception of the continuing existence of a specific entity of that name. And in fact the very meaning of a name was suppressed and replaced by a desire to be one with the whole.
But at the same time the consciousness understood that the biological entity that was its host was important to the task that was to be carried out.

Awareness faded. Contracted. Sadness born out of a feeling of separation grew then faded also.
Corr awoke.

He sat up rubbing the back of his head that had hit the floor when he lost consciousness.

“Fark me!” he exclaimed and looked at his hand. No trace remained of the strange substance that had been absorbed by his body. The redness had faded and the only marks he could see where those of the restraints that had recently held him down. His thoughts turned to the strange being that had appeared in the room and set him free, and the strange voice and message it had communicated. None of it made much sense and the strange disappearance of the being after he had touched the sphere puzzled him.

Corr got to his feet and after a brief few seconds of dizziness he walked to the other side of the bench he had been freed from. On the floor he noted a fine grey dust. He toed it with his boot and where it was disturbed it rose in a fine cloud that wafted slowly around his foot carried by eddies of air he had created before slowly settling back to the floor.

Corr picked up his watch and fastened it around his wrist. As he did the counter reached zero. By rights he should be dead now. They should have come and taken him to the death chamber or just injected a fatal dose of some drug into him while he was restrained. The intervention of the strange being had changed all that.

“Right! Bugger this for a game of monkeys!”, Corr exclaimed out loud. “Time to see if I can get out of here.”

He moved over to the door and it opened automatically for him.

He listened intently for a minute trying to detect any sound of movement or life nearby. All he could hear was the sound of the air filters and fans maintaining the environment on the ship. There were no other sounds. No voices. No footsteps. No sounds of doors opening and closing. No sounds of any activity at all.

…left…

“Which way?”, he thought to himself, “Left I think.” Corr turned to the left and headed down the slightly curving corridor.

…straight…

He approached a junction in the corridor. He could continue straight ahead or turn to the left or right.

Corr shrugged, “Any direction will do if you don’t know where you are going”, he thought, “Straight it is then.”

After a few more minutes of seemingly random direction changes Corr arrived at a door set in what looked like a reinforced bulkhead. The door had no handle and in its place was a basic numeric keypad. At face level in the door was a clear viewport. Corr moved close to the door o get a better view of what lay beyond. It was the hangar deck of the ship he was on. And to the left he could see his ship. Craning his neck slightly Corr could see the environment control panel just inside the door. All the indicator lights were green which suggested the atmospheric integrity of the hangar was intact.

…3459 8712 6009…

Corr stepped back a little from the door. How to open it? Corr had no idea of the code. His left hand rose to the keypad and he tapped the numbers 3459 8712 6009. As he pressed the last 9 the door slid open with a hissing sound. Corr entered the hangar deck and made for his light freighter.

The small cargo bay on the FC-1900lf was open and Corr entered his ship. Making his way to the control console and living quarters he noted how everything that was not welded down had been removed. His bed sheets, blanket and thin mattress were gone. His clothes locker was open and all of his clothes had been removed. The few nick-nacks and souvenirs he has collected over the years were gone also. Even the empty whisky bottle had been taken.

Corr felt annoyance and anger stir within his breast. But he also knew getting angry was pointless.

He took a slow breath and said out loud, “At least they have given the ship a good clean.”

It was time to be on his way.

Using his right hand Corr thumbed the initiate button on the console to reawaken the ship’s AI.

“My voice the key, my DNA the password."

A few seconds later the initiate button glowed a dark yellow and the AI responded through the console speakers.

“Voice match confirmed.”

“DNA match failed. Please retry.”

…left…

This time using his left hand Corr thumbed the initiate button.

“My voice the key, my DNA the password."

Again after a few seconds the initiate button glowed a dark yellow and the AI responded through the console speakers.

“Voice match confirmed.”

“DNA confirmed.”

“AI operational.”

“AI, please get us off this ship?” Corr requested.

"Complying", the AI responded.

After a few seconds Corr heard the engines begin their start-up sequence. Through the view port he could see their exit door begin to open as the AI sent the appropriate commands to the bigger ship’s docking systems. For some reason they were accepted and the FC-1900lf was approved for departure.

Slowly the small freighter exited the larger ship and moved into the void.

“AI please show me a rear view on the monitors.”,Corr requested.

He looked up at the small array of external viewing monitors in front of him as the rear cameras were switched on and he was stunned by what he could see. The larger ship had been torn apart. With the exception of the hangar that he had just exited and a small part of the main fuselage all that was left of the rest of the ship were small pieces of slowly spinning scrap and junk.

…necessary…threat…elimination…protection…consciousness…

It was necessary.

Corr briefly wondered how many people had been killed, and what had caused all the damage. But immediately his thoughts turned to his next steps.

“AI, get us out of here, don’t really care where, just take us somewhere quiet. And stay off the main shipping routes.”

"Complying", the AI responded.

Corr checked the water storage levels. There was enough for a few weeks at least, even without recycling but he would probably get hungry soon so he would have to find some food. But right now he wasn’t hungry.

…rest…

A weariness crept over Corr’s mind and he yawned, reflexively covering his mouth with his hand.

“AI wake me in 5 hours,”

The AI beeped once to indicate it understood and then lowered the cabin lights.

Corr lay on his bed base. It was slightly sprung so a bit softer than the floor. He was asleep within a few seconds.

…purpose…salvation…eternal consciousness…threat…elimination…

*** To be continued ***

Part 7 posted.

Part 8 posted

***Part 9***

…drifting…awareness…brotherhood…sadness…target…planet…tradelane…comfort…

Corr awoke.

He found he knew that his mission required him to travel to the core systems and there he would dock at a station in orbit around the planet known as Earth. From there he would take a space elevator to the surface and it was there that his purpose and his mission would conclude. This was a pleasing thought to Corr and any concerns he had about his recent adventure, strange encounter on the carrier, and the gaps in his memory were washed away in the rush of satisfaction that came from knowing his purpose. He smiled and swung his legs around and sat on the edge of his bed.

Corr raised his right hand and stared at it. There was nothing to indicate that his body had absorbed the presence that he could now sense residing at the edges of his mind. The redness as his arm had been invaded had faded leaving no trace. A sense of detachment infused his thoughts. Corr found he could analytically review everything that had happened to him over the recent fortnight. The reasons for actions taken by others were unclear to him. What was clear was that all he had been asked to do and had done lead to the purpose with which he was now tasked.

“AI. Plot a course to the Central Systems. Grid coordinates AAA001-001-001-001-0023. Destination Earth. Arrange docking at Old Tokyo.”

The ship AI beeped once to confirm the receipt of the instruction and stars swung across the viewing monitors as the ship changed heading and headed for the first jump gate on the route to Earth. Corr closed his eyes and a feeling of contentment suffused his thoughts. The presence in his mind expanded and with it Corr’s perceptions. In his mind’s eye the hull of his ship faded and he became aware of a greater presence. A presence that shared its existence with Corr.

Three days later Corr’s mind registered that his body needed sustenance. Reality returned and replaced the chaos of confused thoughts and heightened awareness that he had inhabited for the past few days.

“AI. Where is the nearest station? I need to eat.”

A second later the AI displayed the local sector map on one of the monitors. It had highlighted a resort system. Travel time was just over three hours.

“AI. Take us to station Bueno Malta and arrange for remote resupply.”

The AI beeped and the projected ship track on the monitor changed to allow for the visit to the resort station called Bueno Malta.
Four hours later and Corr was devouring a meal of tofu and fresh vegetables. The food had been delivered by a remotely piloted supply shuttle.
Hunger satisfied and with the AI again piloting his ship to the Central Systems, Corr lay on his bunk base and closed his eyes. Immediately his expanded consciousness took him outside the physical boundaries of his hip and into the space beyond. This time, however, he was able to direct his thoughts and perceptions. He focused on the New Tokyo system and found he could picture a transit embargo that had been placed on the system by the local corporate navy. Pushing his perception beyond New Tokyo he found several other systems where attacks from nano-based weapons had destroyed various industrial facilities. The presence in his mind, his presence, regretted the many deaths that this had caused. But at the same time a sense of justice served and knowledge that the ends were justified comforted his concerns. And with these thoughts the being that called itself Corr felt the boundaries of his own existence melt away and absorb, or be absorbed by the greater whole that he was now a part of.

…one…finalisation…brother…contentment…

***

Monitors aboard Old Tokyo showed a slightly battered FC-2900lf enter the holding pattern for docking. The AI aboard the vessel requested docking and a station visitation permit for Terence Loff. This was granted by the station docking control officer and the vessel entered the Old Tokyo docking bay and was captured by the docking clamps. A gangway extended and latched onto the FC-1900lf creating a safe airtight seal over the hatch allowing the person on board to enter the station.

Security cameras recorded the person entering the quarantine cell and the light of the biology and technology scan beams as they confirmed that he person was not carrying any contraband. They watched as he stood still for the scan process and then once complete he moved toward the identification panel and placed his left hand upon the biotech identity scanner. If anyone had been watching at that instance they would have seen the person’s hand shimmer slightly when it touched the scanner. This coincided with a small glitch in the security computer programming that incorrectly reported confirmation of identity.

Terence Loff was issued a clearance and pass for station access and planetary visitation.

Station systems tracked Terence Loff as he moved through the sections and corridors towards the planetary departure elevator. They recorded him as showed his pass to the security guards who nodded him through into the space elevator that would take him to the surface of the planet.

The monitors on board the Space Elevator recorded that Terence Loff sat in seat number 25. An hour later the doors to the Elevator sealed and the electric engines stated up and began to turn the large cranks that would pull the Elevator away from Old Tokyo and down the massively strong carbon nanotube based tether toward the planet’s surface. The trip would take 13 hours.

***

The presence watched as At 11:00 local Tokyo time Terence Loff was passed through local quarantine and immigration and entered the Tokyo precinct. It was aware as he moved toward a bench in the middle of a small plaza that was surrounded by grimy steel and concrete buildings. The presence felt Terence Loff sit.

There were other people in the plaza and before they died they would have registered for a few brief seconds that Terence Loff had exploded. The explosion was not one of violence but one of release. The explosion did not cause any devastation or create any noise. Instead Terence Loff simply ceased to exist and he was replaced by a rapidly expanding sphere of nano-robots.

The presence watched as the miniscule devices began their destructive purpose and explosive replication. These devices were much more aggressive that those used in the New Tokyo attack. They replicated much faster and for many more generations. The life span of these nano-robots was to be measured in days rather than hours. The effect this created was a fast moving wave of replication and destruction that radiated out from Tokyo at a speed of just over 80kmh.

Seemingly everything that was in its path was absorbed and destroyed. People, buildings and roads. All melted as the wave passed over them. As the wave absorbed and grew it’s speed increased. The wave propagated eastwards out over the ocean known as the Pacific and headed toward the coast of the United North Americas. The coast of UNA was safe for another 7 or 8 hours, but after that the wave front of the nano-bloom would devastate the continent.

In all other directions the wave rolled on, bringing death, destruction and leaving very little behind except for land covered in a greyish powder.
Within 12 hours the wave front had propagated over an area that covered approximately 50% of the surface of the earth. It had accelerated to nearly 800kmh. 8 billion people were dead.

Because of the speed of the wave front’s advance warnings were slow to get out. Most people died without even knowing that their doom was approaching at near supersonic speeds.

A lucky few were able to scramble onto military heavy lift vehicles that were prepped for space launch at short notice. Most were not lucky.

In just over 36 hours the expanding wave fronts of the nano-bloom met and collapsed.

***

Computer records on board station Old Tokyo record that Terence Loff was granted entry to the Tokyo precinct on Earth at 11:00 local time. They also record that 5 minutes later signals from the Toyo Space Elevator embarkation site stopped being sent.

***

The presence mourned the loss of life.

…necessary…halting…industrialisation…destruction…natural balance…resurrection…

***

In all, 17 highly industrialised planets were destroyed by separate nano-bloom attacks.

Over the next few years the various military powers would fight wars of misplaced retribution as blame for the attacks was shifted around. Never did the generals and presidents understand that the author of the attacks was another type of being entirely. A child of their creation, a being formed from the results of years of research into AI and nano-technoplogy.

***

On the devastated Earth near the location where the Tokyo Space Elevator once stood, in the centre of the area that had previously been a busy plaza, in the dirt that remains after the scouring of the nano-bloom lies a small seed. The rain provides it with moisture and the arriving warmth from the spring sun causes the seed to germinate.

In that location and in many others plants begin to reclaim the planet.

And flowers bloom.

*** end ***

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story.

Can't wait to play LT.

Wow,

That was a great short story.

Wow this is great.

I'm glad I stumbled across it.