Volens Piscis
an excerpt

For the next few days, Hera, her crew, and the doctor saw to the safety of the people in the attack and the safe disposal of the androids still in port. Hephaestus had not yet discovered a way to get inside the android and to see what was ticking, but he had analyzed the Ardenine and discovered that it was harmless; at least as harmless as poisonous substances could get. They took the androids and, after removing the Ardenine, melted them.
The crew took the next day off, relaxing from the aftermath of the android attack. Here was on the bridge with Ares and Sam when the doctor walked in.
'Everyone is doing fine, captain. Just thought you'd want to know that,' he said, smiling slightly.
Hera's mouth grew into a smile, also. 'Thank you, doctor. You've been a wondering help,' she said, permitting him to sit. 'You've been around here an awful lot over the past few days, don't you have a job you need to be at?' she asked curiously. The thought occurred to her well into the third day that the doctor never seemed to have to go to work and she promised herself that she would ask him is time permitted it.
The doctor nodded. 'Its true. I trust you've checked my credentials by now, curious to see if I am a real doctor?' he asked and Hera nodded. 'I quit my last job only a couple days ago. It was why I was in port in the first place; I was on my way back to Baffin State in Kiev.' Knowing that either of them would ask why he was fired, he continued, 'I murdered someone.' He paused to let this news sink in before going on, 'It wasn't really murder, I just feel that was what I'd done. I'm a surgeon by trade and someone died on my table. I didn't think I would ever be able to practice again, but then the attacks happened. I could not refuse to do anything; I had the power to do something and I reacted. It was as simple as that.'
'What are you doing now?' Sam asked in a whisper. Like usual, he was lying on the floor reading his dictionary.
The doctor looked down at Dionysus, whom had gone back to reading; it was the first time he had ever heard him talk and it shocked him. 'I'm not sure. Probably go back to my home town and open my own office,' he told them.
Hera nodded, but a thought had just occurred to her. 'Do you want a job with us?' she asked. The doctor was taken aback by this and Hera explained, 'Its cheaper if one of us gets sick and we have a medic aboard than if we have to find a hospital. Also, I was just thinking that there are many diseases that are only in certain areas and how there are no known record of this. The Phaisi government would probably employ you if I were to ask them. I would love you on my team.' Over the course of helping those people who were in need, she had found a liking to the doctor and knew he would be a valuable member of their team.
The doctor contemplated the offer for a minute. 'How long to I have to decide?' he asked.
Hera looked at Ares and they silently thought about it. 'Two weeks, about. I'm not sure how long it will take my team to gather the information they need. I also have a lot of field work to do with two of my colleagues. I'll give you as much time you need to decide. If you think its not the right thing for you, Ares will be happy to drop you off home. Won't you Ares?' she asked with a sinful smile.
Ares glared at her. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to do it, he honestly didn't mind, it was the fact she had just volunteered him without his permission. 'Yeah, no problem. I'm ground bound till our next move, which is probably a couple of weeks away, so I'm dying to get out and stretch,' he said, smiling.
This made the doctor smile. 'I can get back to you then? I just don't know if I'd like to constantly be moving. I mean, the move to Burlington was hard enough. I'll come back in a few days, then?' he asked. Hera nodded and the left the bridge.
Ares slid to the floor and laid beside Dionysus. 'Hey, baby. What word are you on, now?' he asked sweetly
Dionysus shrugged. 'Just words. They really don't mean anything in this book,' he said.
Ares cocked an eyebrow. 'That wasn't really what I was asking, but okay,' he said and smiled. 'Look at me, please.' Sam did not turn until Ares reached up and turned his chin. They both leaned in and their lips brushed up against each other. Dionysus smiled and pressed his lips firmly against Ares'.
Suddenly, Nemmy appeared with his puff of smoke. Coughing, he said, 'Can you two get a room?'
Ares pulled away from the kiss and looked up at Nemmy. 'In case you failed to realise, Nemmy, this is a room,' Ares said, annoyed. 'What do you want, anyway?'
Nemmy shrugged. 'I wanted to see you both after hearing what might have become of you,' Nemmy said matter-of-factly.
Ares looked confused. 'What might have happened?' he asked shaking his head. 'I, ugh, don't understand.'
Nemmy nodded. 'No reason you should. What this is goes far beyond what your measly brain could wrapped around. It is just something the Zeigmeister was sturring around in her head that involves you two. Though, I'm not at liberty to say what it was because she may still use it. But, not likely. She has already changed her mind and, hey, by the time it does happen y'all would'a already forgotten this conversation,' Nemmy told them.
'I can understand that,' Ares told him. 'Now, can you please leave us alone?' he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Nemmy shrugged and left the bridge.
'Hey, lovely of you to grace us with your presence,' Know Juan said, appearing beside him in holograph form. Nemmy smiled. 'May I ask what brings you to my lovely me?'
'Editing as usual. No sleep for the editors, I guess. The pros were getting kinda slow, what with the touchy feeliness of Ares and Sam on the bridge. Figured I'd pop up to move it along. And what better way to do that then with some dialogue between the two best character?' Nemmy said, meaning the two of them.
Know Juan and Nemmy continued down the corridor and went into Apollo's lab. 'How's it going, sun boy?' Nemmy asked, sitting on a stool.
Apollo looked up from his computer and glared at him. 'It was going well, but now that you're here its all down the tubes,' Apollo answered. Nemmy made a fake pouty face. 'Don't start, okay. I was kept from my studies thanks to those androids and I lost a lot of down time. I need to catch up, so if you could please just leave? The both of you?' he said, glaring at Know Juan when he said the both of you.
Know Juan looked confused. 'But, it ain't like you have to collect data from each place we go to, right? You have the entire time we are on Knossus, don't cha?' he asked.
Apollo knew this, of course, but he also knew that his work would not be done with just analyzing the contents of the suns. He would have to discover their effects on the planet and the quantities of sun light hitting the planet and getting into the atmosphere. He would also love to figure out how much of each sun is needed and which one the planet was more dependant on. Phaistos was a planet with only one sun and, although he had read about the planets with multiple suns, he had never experienced it nor studied it. Since the only planet that had any sort of interest in the world around them was Phaistos, little was known about the other planet's sun systems and most of their information came from Knossus, since it was their neighboring planet.
'I have a lot more work to do than actually analyzing the suns, thank you very much. Now, please, could you leave?' Apollo asked, getting frustrated.
'Now, please, could you leave,' Know Juan mocked. Nemmy smiled at him and walked through him, representing pulling him away, and they both left.
'You mind getting your android self here? I hate talking to you life this; doesn't really seem real to me,' Nemmy asked as they continued down the corridor.
Know Juan glared. 'But, I'm trying to annoy the hell out of Hephaestus while still seeming like I'm helping with the whole 'zombie android' thing,' Know Juan told him, but with a sigh made his android body come up to the corridor. When the android appeared, the holograph disintegrated into nothing. 'I still wish I could just come and go like that. I hate the whole poofy thing,' Nemmy said, crossing his arms.
The android laughed. 'Can't you just change it at will?' he asked.
Nemmy shrugged. 'Probably. I've never attempted to try to change it,' he said, thinking about it. 'I don' think I would, though. Signature thing, y'know, people know be now because of it. Seems like blasphemy to change it, now.'
The avatar laughing. 'That doesn't make any sense, Nemesis,' he told him. 'Come on, Hephaestus is getting into trouble. I can't actually stop him when I'm here with you,' Know Juan said, quickening his pace.
Nemmy rolled his eyes, but followed obediently. 'Why couldn't I just meet you down there?' Nemmy asked as they went down to the next level.
Know Juan shrugged. 'I don't know. You seemed to want me up there with you and I didn't figure leaving Hephaestus without my android body would be this much trouble,' he said. He slowed down as the door to the engine room came into view.
The entered to see Hephaestus sitting in his chair looking thoroughly frustrated. 'Hey, you two,' he said, look up at them. He wasn't entirely thrilled to see them together, but he was glad that the android was there. He had spent the last few minutes arguing with the ship's holographic avatar.
Know Juan walked the length of the room to the table where the broken android lay. 'This thing looks horrible. What the bloody hell have you been doing to it?' Know Juan asked. Nemmy sat on one of Hephaestus' desks and watched the goings-on.
Hephaestus smiled and walked over to the two machines. 'Well, since I can't actually go into the damn thing, I've just been tidying it up, seeing what all its parts do and what not,' he said, scratching the back of his head.
Know Juan turned to him with his eyebrow raised. 'This is your idea of neatness?' he asked, crossing his arms. Hephaestus shrugged. 'At least its neater than it was, eh? I can actually tell what most of these wires go to.'
Hephaestus raised his eyebrows suggestively. Know Juan rolled his eyes and scanned the android again to figure out what everything did. 'I betcha you could've done this all by your lonesome,' he said, still scanning for anything he had missed.
Hephaestus made a face. 'But, its so much faster when you do it,' he mock whined. 'Anyway, I'm the mechanic and you're the android, that automatically makes you my bitch.'
Both Know Juan and Nemmy looked at him shocked. 'Excuse me? Just because you built me does not mean I have to take orders from you. If anything, the only orders I need to follow are Hera's! I ain't your bitch,' he said angrily.
'You tell him,' Nemmy said, smiling. Hephaestus and Know Juan both turned to looked at him. 'Sorry, wasn't funny. So, Know Juan, what did you figure out?'
The avatar shrugged. 'Nothing of any value. Everything is normal androidish,' he said and looked up at Hephaestus. He had resolved what he needed to do; in any instant where another android was involved, the mechanic would naturally just plug it into the ship in order to scan it. The threat of an online virus in this android was so overwhelming they had not wanted to do it, although there was no other way that they could find the problem. The ship's intercom came on and Know Juan's cool voice was heard by the crew, 'Attention, ladies, gentlemen, and Nemmy,' he started and the android side smiled at Nemmy. 'I have specific instructions from myself to inform you all that I'm going into a lock down. Only my android self will be fully functional. If you have anything you need to do that involves myself, do it now, I'll give y'all ten minutes before lock down. Toodles.'
Within seconds, Hera entered the room. 'What the bloody hell is going on?' she screamed. They all looked at her shocked. 'I mean it, anything involving my ship has to be run by me first.'
'Your ship?' Know Juan asked and she crossed her arms. 'Captain, right. I need to shut down to prevent a virus from spreading if I get infected.' She was about to ask what infection, but he answered, 'The zombie android. We've done everything we can without actually going inside the thing and so far came up short. I've resolved to go inside. This is important,' he said, almost pleadingly.
'Fine, just don't stay in there too long, okay,' Hera said and walked out of the room.
Suddenly he was hit with a wave of pleading from Hephaestus and Nemmy not to go inside the android. Backing away he screamed, 'Look, can you just let me be brave for a moment? I've already made up my mind to go in, alrighty? There's nothing either of you can do or change my mind. We really need to figure this thing out,' he said and pushed past them to the android on the table. 'I'm going in through my android, that way I can stop anything from going into my main body before it's to late. If I shut down, Hephaestus,' he turned to him. 'I love this body, but I know you can build me a new one.'
'But, I would need to reprogram your personality, then,' Hephaestus said.
Nemmy looked between them. 'What? That's stupid; why would you need to do that? Ain't his personality in the main body?' Nemmy asked, shocked.
Know Juan shrugged and Hephaestus answered, 'It was, but once the android was built, Know Juan uploading the code with his personality into it. It makes it so if the android is too far away from the ship to pick up a signal, he doesn't lose anything. I mean, a little bit of the personality is still in the ship, but if Know Juan is infected, he can't access most of it and the personality would be radically different, anyway.'
'Cheer up, Nemmy,' Know Juan said, watching the impact of this news on him. 'Ain't anything special about it. Besides, Hephaestus, I know you and the crew find me incredibly annoying, anyway. This way, maybe y'all will get a better A.I. personality,' he said shrugging.
'Shit. I had no idea this was going to happen,' Nemmy said. He realised that he had become another character in the story entirely and that the Zeigmeister was keeping things from him in order to get his reaction. 'She ain't even telling me what's going to happen next. I hate this,' he said and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
'Y'know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think he was in love with you,' Hephaestus said, turning his attention to the android.
Know Juan smiled softly. 'I think he is, actually,' he said. Perking up, he turned to the android. 'Right, well, I'm totally excited to get inside this thing now that the heartfelt moment is over,' he said and extended his arm over the android.
The intercom turned on and the ship said, 'Alrighty, crew, moment of truth. Let's see what's inside the damn android, shall we? Toodles to all of you, hope to see y'all again. Lock down activated.' Know Juan slammed his hand down on the other android and went inside.
Well, this ain't so bad. Seems pretty . . . The bits of data that made up Know Juan inside the android's computer was knocked to the 'floor'. Forget that. Oi, Mr Undead Android, care to come into the light? the image of the android appeared before him.
Go away. You don't belong in here!
Like shit I do, but I'm here and you're gunna tread me with some dignity. Oh, and also allow me to search you entirely, got that? Or, its bye bye to Mr Undead Android he waved good-bye and walked away, as he did so, he started searching through the android to find any traces of a virus. Shit
Know Juan pulled his hand away from the android and fell to the floor. Hephaestus knelt down beside him, but discovered that he had not shut himself off. 'Are you feeling alright?' he asked, tentatively.
He propped himself up on his elbows and tilted his head, like a shrug. 'I could be better. Checking myself over to make sure I don't have it, so far I'm good,' he said, falling back down to the floor. 'Man, does that thing have conflicts. Looks all jolly good and peaceful on the outside, what with the whole laying dead thing, but once you get in there,' he told Hephaestus.
'Can you stop talking in riddles and tell me what the bloody hell you discovered in there?' Hephaestus said annoyed. 'I kinda wish you had been fried, now.'
Know Juan smiled at this. 'I love you, too,' he said. 'Anyway, inside the thing. Well, the not good news, but accurate news is that it is actually an undead zombie,' he said. 'What I mean is that the virus making him act the way he does is the death virus,' Hephaestus nodded. The dead virus is what mechanics and engineers inject into an android to wipe the memory. It was common use when it was invented, but over the years people began to do it by hand and only change small bits of information to create a new A.I. personality within a body. 'Anyway, its a mutated death virus, making their personalities scramble every few seconds. There's a ton of washed up combinations lying inside that thing, never to see the light of day again. You can imagine what that sort of thing can do to a person -- android, in this instance. In lamen's terms its making them crazy. I also found traces of the engineer trying to program them to actually hurt people. Now, you and I know that its impossible to do this, bet you've tried, too. Everyone has, just to see if it can be done. Everyone gives up after a few attempts, but this guy wouldn't give up. He kept trying on the same personality and, well, you saw what happen last week. He succeeded, if only by a little. They aren't programmed to hurt people as much as they are programmed to recognize them as something different, sub-beings. He bypassed the rule. All this and its amazing they could still function half as well as they did,' Know Juan finished, still laying on the floor, wiped out from being inside it.
'Bloody hell,' Hephaestus said. He looked at the collapsed android, concerned. 'But, you're alright, yes?' he asked.
The android shrugged. 'No virus, if that's what you mean. It's not really one for jumping computers, so I was technically safe the entire time,' he said and the ship jumped back to life.
'Good morning, folks. This is your ship speaking, just here to inform you that I'm back up and fully functional. A little tired, so if y'all wanna try not to do much in the way of power, that would be lovely,' the ship said.
Getting up, Know Juan looked at the android. 'I can't help but feel sorry for it, now,' he said. 'destroy it, though. Won't you?' Hephaestus nodded. 'Awesome.'
After a puff of smoke, Nemmy appeared. 'I see you're alright,' he said, like the last time he was there never happened.
'Hey, sweety, glad you could show up,' Know Juan said sarcastically. 'When did you know I was gunna be okay?' he asked with an expecting expression on his face.
Nemmy smiled, just as Hephaestus left the room without a word. 'Picked up on that, did you?'
Know Juan shrugged. 'I had a feeling you would know before it happened. Doubt the Zeigmeister would be that cruel to you,' he replied.
'Well, to be honest, the only reason I didn't know before I left was because she didn't know what she wanted to do. Didn't figure it out until it happened. By all accounts, you could have ended up being fried, she had been contemplating it,' Nemmy told him.
Know Juan got a frightened look on his face. 'Shit, really?' he said, looking down at the android. 'I figured I would be safe because she wouldn't do that to do. False sense of security, eh?'
Nemmy shrugged. 'A little. She's an awesome person and she loves you all, but make no mistake that each and every one of you can die pretty quickly, even if y'all didn't do anything she doesn't like. She loves killing people in her stories, and, let me tell you, she's already planning a few of your deaths,' Nemmy told him.
Know Juan spun around horrified. 'She is? Do you know who it is? Is it me?' he asked. Nemmy just smiled. 'I'm being serious, here. If you know who's going to die, don't you feel responsible to stop it?'
Nemmy shrugged. 'Not really. Its inevitable. Besides, even now, nothing is written in stone and she doesn't know who she may kill of. She just knows some of you will have to go before the story comes to a close.' See his face, Nemmy added, 'C'mon, Know Juan. Don't think to much into it. What'll happen will happen, nothing we can do. But, y'know what we can do? Go into the city and get me a drink. I hate being worked up like I was today,' he said and started walking out of the room. Know Juan smiled and followed. 'And, I think we can find some oil or something for you.'
Know Juan made a face. 'I don't drink-' Nemmy put his finger to Know Juan's lips to silence him.
'Don't crush my dreams, Know Juan,' he said with a smile and they continued out into port.

Once the power came back on, Hera went to the bridge. 'Ares, set up a link with Phaistos. I need to talk to the director,' she said, meaning their employer.
Ares looked at her confused. 'The doc, right?' he asked, and she nodded. He spent a few seconds connecting to a strong link. 'There you go,' he said, pushing the final button and the director appeared on the largest screen.
'Good morning, Ms Mockin-Tyran. To what do I owe the pleasure?' the man asked.
Hera took a large breath before answering, 'We have recently come into contact with a doctor whom lost his job about a week ago. He's an excellent person and a wonderful medical professional. I wish to hire him on my team, since we are lacking in that area of expertise. I think he would be of help to us and our studies, also if we are away from a hospital and one of my crew falls ill? Its also a lot cheaper to hire a medic full time than to pay hospital rates.'
The director contemplated this idea. After a pause he nodded. 'Very well. Send his records to our offices immediately and he will be added to the bill,' the director said and signed off.
Hera smiled. 'That went well,' she said and left the bridge.