Ghost Fleet (The Pike Chronicles Book 4) by G. P. Hudson Read Free Book Online Page B

chip would essentially hack into Colonel Bast’s neural network. In doing so it would hijack the genetic code inside the billions of neurons found in the brain, thereby controlling the messages each neuron sent to each other, and suppressing any harmful transmissions. On the positive side, the brain chip protected Colonel Bast from psychological trauma. On the negative, it allowed the Juttari to enslave him.
    Of course the brain chip was capable of much more. It allowed him to interface with his surroundings. He could control the ship’s equipment and computers with his thoughts. He could access any information from the ship’s systems, and perfectly store it in his memory. If he needed to study a terrain map before an operation, one glance was all that was needed. Indeed, every Chaanisar possessed a photographic memory. The chip also networked him with the other Chaanisar brain chips, allowing them to communicate telepathically, even over great distances. Such a wondrous piece of technology, used for such great evil. Ellerbeck shook her head in disgust.
    In the end, for Colonel Bast, removing the chip offered no reprieve. His mind, his past, still enslaved him. He remained lost, like all the Chaanisar, with no way of returning home. She wondered if they weren’t looking for home in the wrong place. Prime Minister Sallas, Michael, had said that New Byzantium could be their home. That offer might be the Chaanisar’s salvation after all. Here they were welcomed. She didn’t think that would be the case back on Earth, even if the brain chips were removed. There, they would always be seen as butchers, not as abducted children. Humanity often had a disappointing capacity for hatred and recrimination. Earth would never embrace a freed Chaanisar. They would demand their pound of flesh.
    The thought saddened her. Colonel Bast was a good man. Holding him responsible for what the Juttaari forced him to do would be like putting a kitchen knife on trial for its use in a murder. What counted in her mind was the Chaanisar actions after they were freed from Juttari control. When they acted of their own free will they rescued the Hermes crew, repeatedly risked their lives against the Kemmar, and fought for New Byzantium’s freedom. Of course, it could be argued that they did so in their own self-interest. They wanted the brain chips removed, after all. What would happen once Bast’s chip was reinserted? What would the Chaanisar do now that the chip’s removal was no longer an option? Would they remain a trusted ally? Would they kick all non-Chaanisar off their ship and leave? Or would they turn into the butchers that those back on Earth believed them to be?
    As the tiny medical bots neared their destination, she knew she would soon have her answer. New Byzantium desperately needed help. Would the Chaanisar help it survive? Watching the progress on the holograph she marveled at how the fate of so many relied on something as small as this microscopic chip. Reaching their target, the medical bots maneuvered against the blood stream’s tide and held position above the precise location that the chip previously held. Ellerbeck then gently had them lower the chip. Once in place the bots released the alien implant, allowing it to take over. The chip came to life, first securing itself to the surface of the brain, then transmitting its commands. Ellerbeck instantly noticed a physiological response as the chip proceeded to conduct what looked like a body wide systems check.
    She watched in amazement as the chip reasserted itself, and Bast’s body responded. Her medical systems were amassing a staggering amount of data that she hoped would help her find a solution and rid the Chaanisar of their brain chips once and for all. Bast’s body became rigid as his muscles contracted. She glanced back at her display when, without warning, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm with unforgiving strength.
    Colonel Bast’s eyes opened and looked straight