by Ryk Brown
“There are no indications that it is a weapons system,” Lieutenant Commander Shinoda stated. “At least not yet.”
“Maybe we should wait to be sure before we launch an attack?” Cameron suggested.
“Too risky,” Nathan insisted. “The mere fact that they’re attempting to complete similar projects on various worlds is enough reason to strike now.”
“We probably should’ve have struck a week ago,” Jessica added.
“How are your Nighthawk pilots?” Nathan asked Commander Prechitt.
“They’re ready, Captain,” the commander assured. “It took them a little while to get used to their AIs. Many felt the same as Doran about them.”
Nathan turned to Cameron. “Did we get all our jump missiles?”
“The last twenty are being loaded today,” she replied. “Total count is one hundred and ten.”
“Where did you put them?” Nathan wondered.
“We’ve got them stacked in the aft end of the forward flight decks, just off to the sides of the transfer airlocks, which, by the way, are now using pressure shields.”
“We came through them on the way in,” General Telles stated. “Quite impressive.”
“I still prefer doors,” Jessica insisted.
“Well, we still have them as backups,” Nathan reassured her.
Robert Nash entered the command briefing room, coming around behind Nathan. “Sorry I’m late,” he told them. “We had some problems with our shuttle’s jump drive.”
“What have you got to report, Captain?” Nathan asked.
“All sixteen Orochi are fully crewed and fully loaded,” Robert reported as he took his seat.
“How confident are you in their crews?” Cameron asked.
“At least half have good crews and captains,” Robert explained. “The other half…well, they could use a few more weeks. I’d recommend they either be left behind to protect the Rogen and Orswella systems or be used to launch missile attacks from afar.”
“Noted,” Cameron replied, entering the comment in her data pad.
“Vlad?” Nathan asked.
“We’re ready,” Vlad replied confidently. “Shields are upgraded, jump drive energy cells have been improved, jump range is doubled, pressure shields are in place, and our AI is now hooked into every system on the ship. You could probably ask her to brew you a cup of coffee.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Cameron admitted.
“You still have reservations about our AI?” Nathan wondered.
“You see, I’m not the only one,” Doran chimed in.
“I just wonder if we’re moving too fast, that’s all,” she added. “I mean, we’re putting a lot of trust in an unproven system.”
“Which is pretty much standard operating procedure,” Nathan mused.
“I know, but this is putting everything under her control,” Cameron reminded him.
“We’ve gone over the access and action authorities multiple times,” Nathan pointed out. “Every parameter has been discussed and defined. She cannot take any action that we haven’t given her permission to take.”
“The very nature of her programming would not permit us to be harmed by her action or inaction,” Deliza explained.
“I’m with Cam,” Jessica said. “The AI is just code, and code can have glitches.”
“Not this code,” Deliza insisted. “SilTek AIs are constantly reviewing their own code for errors, and they self-correct them when found. That’s what is so ingenious about their AIs. They’ve taken human error out of the equation.”
“But can you truly take human error out of a system that was conceived and created by humans?” Cameron asked.
“Humans can’t,” Deliza admitted, “but an AI can. SilTek’s AIs were not created by SilTek. True, their core code was written by human programmers, but eventually that first AI took over and began writing its own code. That’s the beauty of it. They write whatever code they need for each task as it comes up. It’s part of their learning process. When you combine that with the hive model, you get an incredibly intelligent system, where each AI benefits from the experience and modifications of all those that came before it.”
“One that can outthink us,” Cameron pointed out.
“Yes, but that’s why we need them,” Deliza argued. “Because they can outthink us. They can unlock our creative potential, which is the very thing they do not have. When used properly, an AI can speed up the process of conception, analysis, and creation…exponentially. Aurora’s ability to monitor and adjust the systems of this ship not only makes your ship more efficient and safer, but she also eliminates the need for half your crew.”
“Which is really the primary reason I’m going along with it,” Nathan interrupted. “We’re grossly understaffed as it is, especially going into battle.”
“I just hope she doesn’t do something unexpected at an inopportune moment,” Cameron stated.
“We’ve still got the kill switch in the command chair,” Nathan reminded her. “And I’m not planning on removing it, or any of our crew, anytime soon.”
Cameron nodded.
“Ken, is their fleet strength still at six warships?” Nathan asked Lieutenant Commander Shinoda.
“Two missile frigates; two assault ships; one cruiser; and their flagship, the dreadnought. Between the dreadnought and the cruiser, probably about two hundred octo-fighters.”
“Don’t forget about their gunships,” Jessica reminded him.
“How many?” Nathan wondered.
“It’s hard to tell because they’re always moving, and their sensor profiles are nearly identical,” the lieutenant commander explained. “Best guess: eight to ten. But they don’t have the firepower to take us down.”
“But they can take down our smaller ships, like the Orochi,” Cameron pointed out.
“My Gunyoki will keep the Orochi safe,” Commander Kaguchi boasted. “They’ve been training around the clock for the last three weeks, ever since you sent us the attack plan.”
“I’m sure my Orochi crews will be happy to hear that,” Captain Nash stated.
Nathan took in a breath, letting it out slowly as he contemplated the situation. “Does anyone here believe that our chances of success will increase significantly if we delay our attack?”
General Telles was the only one who spoke. “There are always advantages to careful preparation. However, given that we do not know what the Dusahn’s subterranean projects are, it seems prudent to move now rather than later.”
“I’ll take that as a yes vote,” Nathan replied. He looked at Commander Prechitt. “Jonas?”
“We’re ready, sir,” Commander Prechitt replied.
“Master Chief?”
“The Corinari are always ready,” Doran assured him.
“Captain Nash?”
“A few more weeks of training would make a difference; however, I agree with the general. We can’t afford to wait.”
“Commander Kaguchi?”
“The Gunyoki are ready as well,” Vol assured him.
Nathan looked at Jessica next. “Jess?”
“Our weapons have never been in better shape,” she replied.
“Vlad?” Nathan asked, his eyes moving to his chief engineer.
“The ship is equally as ready,” Vladimir stated with confidence.
Finally, Nathan looked to his executive officer, the former captain of the Aurora, and the one person who had taken the greatest leap of faith by coming to his aid months ago. “Cam?”
Cameron looked at him and sighed. “This is where I’m supposed to talk you out of it, right?”
“Something like that,” Nathan replied.
“As much as I’d like to, Telles is right. Whatever the Dusahn are doing underground is likely not in our favor. Ready or not, we mu
st act or risk losing the opportunity forever.”
Nathan paused a moment before continuing, wondering just how he had come to deserve the company and the trust of such brave people. He then reached down and picked up a container, setting it on the table in front of him.
“What’s that?” Jessica wondered.
“A little something for the master chief,” Nathan explained, pushing the box toward Doran to his left. “I thought you might need these.”
A quizzical look on his face, Doran removed the lid. A thousand Corinari uniform patches were inside.
“It’s time the Corinari returned to their world,” Nathan told him. He pulled a small black box from his jacket pocket and placed it on the table in front of the master chief. “And they can’t have a master chief leading them. They need a major, at the very least.”
Doran opened the box, finding a pair of gold clusters that marked the wearer as a command major of the Corinari; a true leader of men. For once, Doran found himself speechless.
“Congratulations, Major Montrose,” General Telles stated.
Doran looked over at the general. It was the first time he had seen the Ghatazhak leader smile. “Thank you.”
“Now, take those patches and give them to your men,” Nathan instructed. “The people of Corinair need to recognize their Corinari when they return to free them.”
“Thank you, sir,” Doran replied as the room broke into applause.
* * *
“I’m assuming you’ve corrected the problem with the targeting system?” Corporal Vasya inquired, stepping into the testing arena.
“The system will now accurately differentiate between friend and foe,” Mister Ayseron assured him.
“On behalf of about a hundred Ghatazhak, I thank you,” the corporal replied dryly. “You know, we are running out of time here. The mission is tomorrow, remember.”
“It is just a small software glitch; easily corrected.”
“This is why we test things, corporal,” General Telles commented.
“I’m just saying…”
“All the suits and deployment systems have been manufactured and are ready for use by your people,” Mister Ayseron stated. “Once these last two items are validated, we can update the software in all the suits in seconds.”
Corporal Vasya rolled his eyes as he raised his assault rifle to the ready position and stepped through the shield barrier, activating the testing system. The trim lighting in the arena turned red, and a warning klaxon sounded, alerting all nearby that a live test was taking place.
As expected, SilTek androids dressed and armed as Dusahn soldiers began popping up from behind various cover elements placed about the arena, opening fire on the corporal, causing the protective energy barrier surrounding him to flash with each impact. He braced himself against the incoming bolts of plasma, more out of habit than necessity, as the suit’s compensation mechanisms removed that concern automatically.
“Multiple hostiles at two, five, seven, nine, and eleven,” his AI warned via his helmet comms. “Activating…”
The corporal instinctively went into action, firing five precise shots that dropped all five android combatants with ease.
“…defense systems,” his AI finished.
“The purpose of this was to test the defense systems, not your marksmanship,” General Telles reminded the corporal as the trim lighting changed back to green.
“Sorry sir,” Kit replied. “Instincts.”
“Reset and start again,” General Telles instructed Mister Ayseron.
All five robotic Dusahn soldiers rose to their feet and returned to their cover positions.
Corporal Vasya stepped back through the shield barrier as the tactical display on his visor flickered due to the system reset.
“In case you have forgotten, the purpose of the defense system is to allow you to focus on targets that are key to the offensive plan. Those would most likely be…”
“I know,” Kit interrupted, “the targets in my primary field of fire.”
“If you have to turn more than forty-five degrees from center to engage the targets, you should let Capsi deal with them,” the general continued.
“I got it,” Kit assured him. “You know, it would probably help if Capsi didn’t announce that he was activating the defensive systems and just did it.”
General Telles looked at Mister Ayseron. “I believe we already discussed this.”
“Apologies,” Mister Ayseron replied, entering the adjustment on his control pad. “I have not slept much these last few weeks.” After a moment, he added, “Done.”
“Let’s do this,” Kit said, raising his weapon and stepping through the barrier a second time. Again, the lighting turned red, and the warning klaxon sounded. Once more, the android combatants rose from their cover; this time numbering eight, with four of them holding civilians in front of them as shields. All eight targets, as well as the four civilians, were instantly identified, with red outlines appearing around the combatants, and green around the civilian hostages. In the blink of an eye, the corporal raised his weapon, this time only firing three shots in rapid succession. The first was at the combatant at his ten o’clock position, which landed squarely in his chest, instantly disabling him. The second was at the combatant at his one o’clock position and landed on the android’s right hip, causing him to pivot in that direction, allowing the civilian that he held to fall back and to their left, exposing the combatant’s abdomen. The corporal’s third shot found the target’s exposed midsection, causing him to completely release his hold on the hostage and fall backward, his own weapon discharging several times on the way down.
At the same time, two small weapons pods, each no bigger than a man’s clenched fist, rose from the pack on the corporal’s back. The pods pivoted right and left respectively, launching several small projectiles that steered themselves to the enemy targets to either side and behind the corporal, dispatching the remaining five combatants without injuring the three remaining civilian hostages.
Corporal Vasya spun around to survey the situation in his defensive zones, his weapon still at the ready. Five android bodies, with three android civilians running away in simulated fear.
“Incoming ordnance,” Capsi warned. “Bearing two five; ten-meter blast area; impact in five seconds.”
Kit turned toward the incoming weapon, taking three running steps as he barked, “Twenty-meter jump…execute!” On his third step, he jumped into the air, disappearing in a flash of blue-white light, only to reappear a split second later twenty meters away just as he landed. He tucked and rolled as the explosion went off behind him, sending dirt and debris flying into the air along the weapon’s original trajectory.
Mister Ayseron flinched as the debris impacted the protective shield barrier that enclosed the testing arena and protected spectators beyond its border. General Telles did not, only smiling.
The lighting turned green again, and Corporal Vasya lowered his weapon as he took a few running steps back toward the General and Mister Ayseron. “Twenty-meter jump…execute,” he repeated as he jumped up in the air as he ran. Another blue-white flash washed over the arena, followed by a second flash a split second later as the corporal landed in a run. “Damn!” he exclaimed as he jogged up to them. “I love that jump feature!”
“Just remember, your power pack has a limited supply,” General Telles reminded him. “It powers all your systems, including the jump feature and your shields. Too many jumps and you’ll find yourself without any protection.”
“I’ll still have this,” Corporal Vasya replied, holding up his weapon, “and this,” he added, pointing to his head.
“Just try not to overuse the jump feature,” the general insisted. “It should only be used to escape certain death.”
“Like from an incoming anti-personnel missile,” Corporal Vasya replied, a smug
look on his face.
“Precisely.”
“Couldn’t you give it more power?” the corporal asked Mister Ayseron.
“We are working on the problem,” the SilTek engineer assured him. “There is just insufficient time. It was intended as a method of deployment and recovery,” he pointed out.
Vasya’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“From orbit,” General Telles explained. “But the power requirements were more than what is currently available.”
“You mean, we were going to be able to jump down to the surface and back up again?” Kit asked, shocked. “Slick.”
“Perhaps by your next mission,” Mister Ayseron suggested.
“If we are successful tomorrow, there will be ample time to perfect your higher-density energy cell,” General Telles assured him. “However, in the meantime, the corporal has demonstrated a valid use for the jump system.”
“Yes, yes,” Mister Ayseron agreed. “Just please keep an eye on your energy levels and the rate of drain if you use the jump system more than a few times,” he urged the corporal.
“No problem,” the corporal promised. He took a few steps backward, executing another jump, transitioning five meters back and landing with a grin on his face.
“I believe that is all we can hope to accomplish before the mission,” General Telles told Mister Ayseron. “I would like my men to have a few hours to practice using the new suits.”
“I’ll update all units immediately,” Mister Ayseron promised. “You should be able to begin testing them within the hour.”
“Excellent,” General Telles congratulated.
“We are going to kick some ass tomorrow,” Corporal Vasya stated confidently.
General Telles had no comment.
* * *
“A moment, Captain?” Miss Bindi inquired, moving quickly to catch up with Nathan in the corridor.
“Something on your mind, Miss Bindi?” Nathan asked as he walked.
“That was a touching moment back there,” she stated. “I’ve never seen such pride in a man until today.”
“The Corinari are a proud group,” Nathan explained, “and with good reason. Other than the Ghatazhak, they are probably the finest warriors I’ve encountered.”
