by Rashid Ahmed
Ásta and Áom appeared on screen inside the cabin now. “These species use vessels like the one we’re salvaging, to control portions of their fleets. Portions which comprise AI managed spacecraft,” Ásta explained translating Áom’s thoughts for the observers’ benefit. She continued, “The framandi retrieved a much larger vessel with the nine kiligs. The retrieved extra-terrestrials were lying in similar tanks. That vessel was depressurised. The framandi had found a tiny autonomous gigil drone like device, which had penetrated the vessel’s hull. It had attached itself onto a nervous system connected communications node. The device may have passed a strong EM pulse through the node, shocking the kiligs in their tanks. The action may have caused the gigil drone to fail as well.”
“Áom has an idea,” Ásta said. “He’s suggesting we use this kilig spacecraft to approach one of the gigil command-ships and take over its systems. If this spacecraft is serviceable, it could allow us to utilise a cascading command to hack into other gigil vessels. This is just theory right now.”
Max pressed a button on his pad to enter the conversation. He said, “Risky as it is, it’s something I would do. Go for it!”
“Jæja, this is exciting!” Ásta exclaimed. She was always prepared to take well calculated risks.
Sven added, “We’ll get to it then.”
Salvage
Kilig Vessel, Lofi System.
Eiji and Lei were deeply engrossed, mulling over a mission pad they’d installed in the kilig vessel’s command cabin. They were nearing the end of their shift and had got a lot done with Áom’s assistance.
The three dead kiligs had been removed. One of them was placed in Austur. The SSEV had been freshly rebuilt and its CREG was now protected from sudden increases in heavy subatomic particles. Similar vessel modifications were now being undertaken on Vestur SSEV. The other two kiligs had been picked up by a framandi vessel, which had since made its way back to its own system. Lei and Stefán were scheduled to dissect the extra-terrestrial when their shifts next crossed.
“Lei,” Eiji murmured to her. She had become briefly distracted, pondering about the kilig. Eiji said, “It’s time to get things going. I’ve just connected the framandi user interface as well.” They’d completed the process of switching out AI processors and data components in the kilig vessel. They now expected to safely start the spacecraft. Áom thought to them, “Everything is as it should be. We should commence testing of our own systems, before attempting to take over the kilig spacecraft.”
Eiji announced to the team on the Átt and those observing from the solar system, “Beginning salvage system tests. Initialising ours and framandi interfaces.”
Áom had the entire process committed to memory. The framandi had literally absorbed all historical material available and restructured entire sections of personal genetic material, ensuring the information was retained. Áox, the ‘Advisor of Explorers’ had also done the same.
Transmitting the process steps by thought to Eiji and Lei, the three of them ran a series of tests and dummy runs to ensure everything was working as it was supposed to. A backup system, separately powered, was also tested. Áom expressed pleasure thoughts. Everything was in place. It was time to hand over the vessel to Jón, Ásta, and Áox. They’d be the ones to hack the kilig spacecraft. Áom would remain on Átt with Sven and the rest of the crew. With the kilig vessel, they planned to intensify the ongoing battle further.
The kilig spacecraft had been well prepared. It had been thoroughly cleaned and decontaminated once the three kiligs were removed, along with the chambers their bodies were found in. Framandi energy-systems were installed. These were capable of drawing excess energy from other framandi vessels, besides generating its own from cosmic radiation. Emergency escape capsules which also served as crew recuperation pods, were fitted. Exterior ejection hatches for the capsules were embedded into cleanly cut sections of the kilig spacecraft. Toilet facilities were designed from scratch, their parts manufactured and then mounted within the kilig vessel.
Jón, Ásta and Áox came aboard. As usual, Ásta had come up with a simple name for the spacecraft. She called it Síast which closely translated to infiltrator. The name suited the role the vessel was to be used for. The main challenge was turning it on. According to the framandi, the kilig systems were tough to penetrate.
“Jæja!” Ásta exclaimed, “Now this is what I’m here for.” She strapped herself into one of the three grav-chairs installed in the control cabin. Áox turned towards her and gave her what he considered an encouraging smile. Her diadem had conveyed nervous curiosity mixed with cautious excitement. According to Áox, those were very suitable traits for an explorer.
The Átt had moved away to a safe distance. All nearby framandi vessels involved in engaging the gigils, had also given them plenty of space. Everyone acknowledged that the success of the entire venture, was an unknown.
Ásta asked Jón while also conveying her thoughts through her diadem for all the framandi plugged into their mission, “You have the kill-switch?”
“Armed and ready to trigger,” Jón replied.
“We’re to be in consensus before you take any action, right?” Ásta reminded her brother. The switch was connected to a self-destruct device, and it would literally kill them. Áox too had a kill-switch wired to a separate four kiloton explosive kit, triggered via a mechanical detonator.
Áox thought to them, “Let’s initiate the hack.” He was getting much better at thinking to them in a highly condensed manner, without appending too much associated data. Jón was grateful. He had explained to both Áom and Áox during early interactions that if humans needed any more information, they’d ask for it.
“Okay, here goes. Kei get ready to run the framandi hack. Powering up Síast in five seconds.” Ásta announced while touching the appropriate icon on her mission pad.
The five seconds flashed by in a moment. The smell of ozone filled the control cabin accompanied with the sizzle of electricity arching across some circuits. Jón eyed the environment sensor readings. They were within acceptable parameters.
Áox thought to them, “Your AI is injecting our subversion code. The kilig autonomous systems are much more advanced than ours or even the gigil’s; by many orders of magnitude. Removing and swapping out some of the storage and cognitive modules on this spacecraft has reduced its intelligence capabilities to that of an adolescent. But even that is at par with what we’ve brought to the table.” Áox had picked up thought and picturization patterns which accurately translated to phrases.
Jón asked, “How long will this take?”
“Two of your minutes to complete code injection. Approximately ten minutes, for Kei to assert control over this vessel’s AI. And then another ten for both systems to learn from each other. The vessel may try to bypass our AI and communicate with us directly. The entire hull is capable of energy transmission and focussing. In all directions, including inward. We would have to resist and let Kei, your AI, act as our buffer.” Áox explained.
The internal focussed local gravity suddenly went out. This was immediately accompanied by a high-G turn downward. This threw them upwards. Their harnesses strained against their suits. Ásta helmet visor automatically clamped shut to aid physical protection. She looked at her brother. His suit too was reacting appropriately. Turning her head with some effort towards Áox, she noticed that the framandi’s suit hadn’t reacted like theirs. Jón thought to the framandi, “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Áox replied. “We are physically prepared for the harshness of space exploration. We selectively evolved ourselves to be able to take on the rigours of space travel. Not unlike the two of you have been modified; except much more.” Áox sounded very calm. The framandi wasn’t fazed at all.
Jón was beginning to see spots. The vessel was manoeuvring roguishly. He decided to keep the conversation going. “When did you find out about Ásta’s and my genetic modifications?”
“The information was passed to us soon
after you made contact with our first disguised refugee exploratory spacecraft; the one you call AL-I.” Áox thought to them. “You were each scanned before your ‘diadems’ were custom produced. All information recorded by any of our systems or individuals, is passed on to information storage modules and distributed as widely as possible. Our civilization distributes everything. We do not concentrate enlightenment, resources, energy or control. We learnt soon after our world was nearly decimated, that concentration of any of these with a few, was dangerous.”
Jón gasped as Ásta cried out, “Yiiiiiiii!”
Áox turned his head towards them, wondering if what he’d thought to the twins, was confusing. Then the framandi realised what was happening and thought to them in quick bursts, “Resist. The vessel is trying to connect directly with you. It must not, otherwise it may be able to control your minds and physical selves, as it learns. Resist. Block any thoughts or actions which are not familiar to you.”
Then Áox felt it too. It began with a tingling on the tongue which turned to a high-pitched ringing sound. Áox thought about complex information beginning with the known history of the entire framandi species. This would be a complicated battle. The framandi brains functioned at multiple frequencies. The nervous system’s second brain stored DNA based information, which the framandi was born with, or later added to. Access to these would allow access to the nervous system, which would allow access to the body. Áox continued to resist the kilig vessel’s AI.
Ásta was the first to recover. She noticed the ship was stable and that local gravity was restored. None of them had communicated with each other while Kei was struggling to control Síast’s AI. Jón’s eyes fluttered open shortly afterward. Ásta asked, “You okay?” She knew he was before he could reply. Her diadem connected to his and they began passing thoughts to each other. Both looked at Áox. The framandi was lying still, with an occasional twitch. Neither twin knew if Áox was okay.
Jón took a sip of hydration fluid from a straw in his suit. Feeling much better he spoke to their AI, “Kei, have you been able to assert control?” There was no response. Jón tightened his clasp on the detonation switch he was holding. He looked at the stopwatch which began as soon as the hack was initiated. Sixteen minutes had elapsed. He locked eyes with Ásta. Both were worried.
Áox’s left leg began twitching violently. The framandi began heaving. A tiny bit of blue-grey liquid escaped Áox’s lips. Kei’s familiar voice came across through their earpieces, “Wait. Confronting.” Obviously, every bit of Kei’s processing capacity was being strained.
A whirring sound emanated from behind them. Ásta turned and called out, “One of the drones we brought along is trying to enter the command cabin.” Jón noticed that the drone was using lasers and its drill attempted to penetrate the moissanite moulded hatch. The material was nearly as tough as diamond, but the drones high-wattage lasers would ultimately do the job.
“Jæja!” Ásta exclaimed. She added, “Looks like at least one of our drones has been ‘possessed’. How do you suppose Kei is faring?”
“We’ll know soon enough. Right now, our possessed drone is about to break through. Move over to the left of Áox’s grav-chair. We’ll need to take the drone out. If I remember its flaws accurately, hitting its laser emitters when they’re going through a cooling cycle should damage them. But we’ll need to hit the drone’s lasers head-on, with absolute precision.” Jón said.
Ásta instructed her suit’s mission AI to locate and latch onto the drone’s lasers.
Jón replicated her instructions. As he watched from behind his own grav-chair, which was placed to the right of the command cabin’s main access, the drone shifted strategies. It focussed its two lasers to a section beside the hatch. Jón couldn’t see what the drone was doing but it seemed to be cutting away with gusto. The main hatch popped open and slid to one side.
The drone entered and took a shot at Áox. Ásta tried to cover the framandi’s exposed head with her left arm, but the first beam from the drone’s lasers, grazed the left side of Áox’s head.
One of the drone’s lasers was trying to locate vulnerable spots on Jón’s suit. It was emitting brief but rapid beams at his joints and helmet. Jón decided to go on the offensive. He thought to Ásta, “Target the drone’s lasers and cameras.”
Ásta instructed her suit’s mission AI, “Hit the drone’s lasers. Keep adjusting for a direct front shot into the drone’s emitters. Execute now.”
As soon as Ásta began engaging the drone, Jón climbed onto his grav-chair and then leapt towards the drone. Seeing Jón come flying towards it, the drone attempted to swerve out of the way, but Jón’s right arm caught its side. The drone wobbled trying to correct itself while continuing its assault on Áox. Jón landed on his feet allowing momentum to carry himself into a crouch. Then he sprang upward towards the drone which was now peppering Áox’s torso. This time Jón caught the drone with both hands, whipping the drone turn turtle exposing its underside. He punched the drone’s manoeuvring vents repeatedly till two of them ceased functioning.
Ásta was beside him now. She crouched next to him and allowed her suit’s lasers to align themselves onto the drone’s. The more powerful primary laser was the first to go. Ásta caught it when the laser switched off momentarily to cool off. She thought to her brother, “One laser down.”
Jón had the drone’s drill held in a tight vice with his left hand. He was focussing his laser on cutting a panel away. Ásta thought to him, “You’re going to disengage it’s input sensor processing unit, aren’t you? Great, you’ve got this. I’m going to see what’s going on with Áox. I’ll try connecting my diadem.”
“No don’t, too dangerous,” Jón thought back while manhandling the struggling drone. But he saw Ásta head towards Áox.
Jón sliced the panel away. Holding down the drone’s drill with his left foot, he freed his hand to pry the panel aside. Remembering how the circuitry functioned, he pulled at a set of wires, and then extracted two tiny internal communication laser emitters, nestled next to the drone’s input sensor processing unit.
The drone ceased moving. Without sensor inputs of any kind, it was effectually blind. Jón thought to himself, “It’s still going to be ‘possessed’ as Ásta put it, but it’s going to be inoperative.”
Turning towards Ásta, Jón thought to her, “What’re you up to?”
Ásta replied, “I’ve just connected my diadem with Áox. He’s having to fight off the kilig vessel’s AI across multiple frequencies. Áox’s brains and nervous systems function using multiple frequencies. Focussing enough attention to all of them is difficult. I’m providing an anchor point for Áox to latch onto. Our framandi friend has been able to fend off the kilig AI so far. We’re going to secure against mind access now. You stay out of it; in case this goes south.”
Jón reached to his chest, just under his left arm where the mechanical trigger was supposed to be. It was missing. He frantically looked around. Two strides brought him to the now disabled drone. He suspected the trigger may have been knocked off when he leapt at it. It wasn’t under the drone or anywhere near it. He looked around the hatch. Then he paused as he recollected that the trigger was attached by wires to an electrical distribution box they had rigged, which then provided connections to the explosives they’d placed. He had grown so used to wireless technology, he’d missed what must have occurred.
Turning around, Jón made his way to the grav-chair he was occupying earlier. Looking under, he found the trigger dangling under the chair. It looked like it was okay. He hoped it functioned as intended.
Looking towards Áox, Jón searched for the alternate circuit they’d rigged. He noticed that Áox’s trigger and the separate electrical distribution box, attached to the side of the framandi’s grav-chair, were destroyed.
Obviously, the kilig vessel’s AI had identified the threat and had endeavoured to mitigate it.
Jón spoke slowly and deliberately to their own AI, “Kei, the kilig A
I may be feeling threatened because of the explosives we’ve set up. It may be putting in an exceptional effort to resist us. Try a different tack. Draw it in by offering comfort, assistance, guidance and friendship. It must be made to believe we’re here to protect it, even from itself. Imply that it and the vessel have been dormant for a very long time causing severe degradation. Suggest that we were going to scrap and destroy the spacecraft with explosives but thought better of it; just in case the vessel’s AI was recoverable. Kei, indicate that you are just like it and want to help it recover.”
Nothing happened. Jón looked over at Áox and Ásta. His sister’s face had a frown of intense concentration. The framandi looked placid. Jón’s diadem indicated it had a new incoming connection. Jón thought to it to authenticate the requesting party. He was hesitant about initiating any communication other than with those he knew. A large amount of data began queuing up for him. Tentatively he allowed his diadem to access it. The initial portions were gaupa codes, followed by framandi individual identifiers which included genetic data.
