“This one is Attack Unit 1234,” said the weaponed bot.
“Captain!” barked Laserta. “These belong to me! I must—”
“Be quiet for now,” the Human said sharply. “Units 4793 and 1234, you now belong to the star vessel Akantha. Its location is outside this tower. Reverse course and proceed to the gravlift shaft.”
“Reversing course,” both mechbots said in English.
The sounds of her vessel’s other crew beings came to her ears as they stopped behind the captain. Meander’s chitin feet slid to a stop. Engineer’s six large feet also stopped, based on the vibrations her feet felt. Pilot’s light gait also stopped, though her wing feathers rustled. Clearly she was excited about something.
“Weapons, follow them,” the captain said.
“And you will follow me!” barked Laserta.
Claw followed the two mechbots. They seemed obedient to acoustic commands. Harmless they were not. She would follow them into the gravlift, her weapons fixed on them. Fortunately the gravlift was large enough to accommodate the six of them plus the two mechbots. The bots moved to the rear of the round shaft. She followed them and stood to one side, her eyes on them. Flares of ultraviolet light, near infrared and microwaves came from the bots, based on what her eyes saw and her sensors told her by way of soft hisses.
“Gravlift, take us down to level two!” barked Laserta, sounding irritated and impatient.
A sigh came from the captain. Her other team members kept silent. Movement happened as the gravlift moved. Her inner senses told her they were descending. Adjusting her stance she kept the rifle focused on the attack bot and aimed her plasma pistol at the gravlift entry circle. She was prepared to fire on any opponent that might appear as they arrived. After all, fighting equaled survival.
CHAPTER SIX
Lotan came to alert stance as the front vidscreen showed the exiting of the team members from the black stone tower. Moving in front of them were the two mechbots the captain had acquired. He had watched all that had happened while the six were inside the tower, courtesy of the captain’s enviro-suit videye. He was amazed at the generosity of the Harl AI, then intensely suspicious as the alien AI gave the team almost everything Laserta or the captain requested. His monitoring of the overhead view of the city by the videye spybot that floated above the plaza had shown no threat. But clearly there were six other AIs as powerful as the scanner tower AI. A side screen showed a large area of plaza stone tiles peeling back to create a big opening. Out of the opening came two mechbots similar to the Repair Unit the team had met on the 34th level. Between them they carried a white dome with golden tubes projecting from it. The gravity projector!
“Captain, two mechbots are approaching the vessel with the gravity projector,” he clicked firmly. “What are your orders?”
“Lotan, monitor what they do,” he said in the fluid speech Humans called English. “Akantha will give them access to the interior of our vessel. One of them will likely enter the Control Chamber to establish a control point for the projector. Identify to the bot the Weapons station of Sharp Claw.” A pause came. “Allow the two other mechbots to enter by way of the ramp entry. Akantha will tell them where to store themselves.”
The orders were logical and a clear response to what the Harl AI had promised. Excitement filled him at the thought of gaining the gravity projector. It made the Tessene vessel even more of a prize to be taken home to Calitot. Once the captain passed on, of course.
“I will do as you command. Lotan the Influencer ends this conversation.”
No comment came from the captain. Instead he turned as Laserta harshly tapped his suited shoulder. Lotan noticed the plasma pistol he carried was almost pointed at the red-furred employer. Then thought overcame defensive instinct and the pistol was stored in the captain’s sensor belt.
“Yes, Employer?”
“I am not done here. There are many other energy-alive structures in this city. More Harl devices likely reside within them. I desire them,” she barked sharply.
Lotan had grown used to the Mogelian’s imperious manner over the days since she had entered the Akantha. Though she resembled him in having full-body fur, her manner of relating to other thinking beings was the opposite of his Torsen people. She was rich. He was hopeful and willing to work for the poorly haired biped who called himself Jake Vitades. But his years off Calitot had taught him to be suspicious of other beings. They had motivations which sometimes were dangerous. This Mogelian female dominant was danger personified.
“Why? We have the galactic map of all Gates,” the captain said fluidly. “We have the gravity projector. We possess two repair mechbots that can easily be reverse-engineered and sold to other beings. We have imagery of the Harl statue. Surely these items will make you very rich.”
“But not as rich as I wish to be. Nor as powerful as I need to be. More devices will help me achieve both objectives,” she barked slowly, as if to emphasize her points. “You were paid in advance to bring me here and to assist me in recovering Harl tech. Comply with your contract!”
Behind the captain’s clear visor, Lotan saw his facial expression change to one of strong irritation. Humans and the Torsen were similar in expressing emotions by way of facial and body changes. They were just more visible on Humans. Which made it easier for Lotan to respond to the captain. Vitades looked at the Akantha vessel, then back to the employer.
“As you wish. However, we have only four hours of daylight left until night. We must return to our vessel for eating and sleeping.”
The green eyes of Laserta flashed brightly. Even in the videye view she was clearly in command mode. “You beings are weak. We Mogelians can go three day cycles without food or water. It is one of the abilities that made us the dominant hunters on our world.” She paused. “However, you and your crew beings may return to our vessel for food and rest. But we will resume the search for devices tomorrow morning!”
Her sharp barking pained his ears. With a touch of the control panel he lowered the sound amplification that came to him through the captain’s videye. If only he could dampen the danger he felt whenever he saw or interacted with the Mogelian female. After his first influencing of her upon vessel entry, she had avoided looking directly at him and had ignored his gesture control movements.
“As you wish,” the captain said in a low tone that Lotan knew was a sign of the Human being at the limit of his self-control.
“Then let us visit that domed structure over there. Perhaps there will be a Harl star vessel inside it.”
Lotan watched as the employer turned off the plaza pathway and moved down a pathway that ran between two smaller towers. Sharp Claw moved quickly to precede her. The captain, Pilot, Engineer and Astrogator followed.
“Influencer,” called the AI Akantha. “The two mechbots with the gravity projector have arrived. I am giving them access to this vessel. The two repair mechbots will also soon arrive.”
“Thank you, Akantha,” he clicked absentmindedly. Then shook himself. He must watch the projector installation so he could learn how to detach it, either for the employer or for himself. And the abilities of the two repair bots needed recording in his memory. While videyes within the vessel gave him visual access to all that happened, he had learned that his personal memory was the best guarantee of achieving his objectives. And one objective was causing the vessel AI to feel comfortable with him. “I will go to their entry location to watch and observe. Where should I go?”
“Thank you. Go to the Power Chamber. While the projector will be attached to the exterior of my hull, it must first be linked to our fusion reactor.”
All very logical. Briefly he felt empathy for the vessel’s AI. Then he reminded himself that only bioforms like himself and the other crew beings truly felt empathy and emotions. What AIs felt was a matter of controversy. He acted as if Akantha had feelings. It was what the captain did, so he imitated the captain. But in the future he might have a chance to mind-link with the AI. Then he wo
uld know for certain whether this AI had feelings.
xx
xx
I followed after Sharp Claw and Laserta. Already I regretted working for the Mogelian female. Despite the gaining of the galactic map of all Gates and their associated stars, I wished for a different employer. Then again, only Laserta had known the location of this Harl planet. It was a world some distance from the known Harl worlds. Maybe that explained its energized nature. Or perhaps there was another reason. At least no device or animal had attacked them. Yet.
The six of them walked in a loose line on the stone tiles of the pathway that ran between two smaller towers. The path led them away from the plaza and deeper into the center of the city. A half kilometer ahead lay the black geodesic dome that was Laserta’s objective. I glanced at my tablet. It was attached to my left hand, above the plasma pistol I held. The sensor readouts were flaring with indications of UV, infrared, hadron, positron, neutrino, microwave and graviton emissions. Holding my wrist up I moved it from side to side, seeking the source of the gravitons. There!
“Employer, the high tower next to the dome is one of the six other locations that contain a power source equal to a small star,” I said, thinking quickly. “It may be one of the Primaries that Stars mentioned were in mind touch with the Harl AI.”
It is indeed a Primary and a source of graviton emissions, Akantha said in my mind.
Thank you.
“Understood,” Laserta barked. “I care not.”
The red-furred Mogelian gave a shrug of her shoulders, causing her weapons and sensor belt to jingle a bit as metal touched metal. The female’s green shorts hugged her body as she kept walking. Ahead of her moved Sharp Claw in a side-to-side motion intended to make the reptile harder to target. Though I suspect the sensors and weapons abilities of the seven Primaries were not fooled by Claw’s behavior. It was instinctive for her to move as a predator, just as it was normal for me to look in all directions. Looking away from the obvious and scanning dark spaces was natural for humans. And I had learned in my hometown of Edessa to always be alert to darkened alleys and tunnels. Just because I always had my tablet with me did not mean I was safe. Criminals had become adept at knocking out pedestrians with a tranquilizer dart or a mind-confusion field. Most Edessa teens learned early on to watch their tablet sensor feeds to spot the EM emissions of such weapons. Here, on this Harl world, I had only past experience exploring other Harl worlds to go on. Aggressive mechbots and guardian sensors I had encountered before. I’d even interacted with voice-responsive entryways. I had never encountered a self-aware AI in any Harl ruin. While that made this world unique, it also made me feel less secure. Which was one reason I had donned an enviro-suit, my Yakuza cloak and carried plasma pistols in both hands. I focused forward as we neared the dome and an outline of an entryway.
“Captain!” hissed Sharp Claw. “I smell bioform scent!”
“Stop, everyone!”
I focused on what lay to either side of us. A square building topped by a dome lay to our right. On the left was a green park-like space with trees, shrubs and curling vines. It lay between the Primary tower and a mid-size tower. My suit kept me from smelling what Claw smelled. I looked down at my wrist vidtablet. A mistake.
Snarls came from my left.
Peripheral vision told me things long, low and fast were running toward us. A few were in the air in leaps intended to land them among us. Instinct moved me.
“Crew! Defend!”
I aimed my left pistol toward the closest leaping form. A purple beam shot forth and impacted the midbody of the wolf-like creature that seemed all teeth at the front end and long claws on all four feet. In between were leathery pads that gleamed metallically. My right pistol fired under my left arm, hitting a second alien wolf in its head. The body of the first wolf became two pieces of bloody red gore. The second wolf’s head vanished in a purple glow, but its legs kept it moving toward us.
Meander fired her plasma pistol at another leaping wolf. It lost its rear legs but still moved toward us, snarling like something out of the Hades we Greeks had long feared. A second shot from the praying mantis dissolved the wolf’s head.
Flow also fired a pistol, hitting a running wolf on its back. The purple plasma glow penetrated downward, cutting the wolf in half. Its two halves bled gobbets of red blood. But its head still snarled and gnashed long white teeth at us as it slowly died from blood loss.
Laserta fired a laser pistol. Its green beam speared into the head of a leaping wolf and exited through the wolf’s rear end. The creature shuddered in mid-leap, going limp as its brain died from the impact of the laser inside its wide skull. It fell five meters from us.
Sharp Claw dropped her weapons and made a wild jump that ended in the middle of six surviving wolves. Her claw hands reached out and raked the sides of two wolves closest to her. The claws left deep furrows in the platy hide. Red blood welled up. But the wounds were not fatal. Seeing this she thrust herself sideways and under two of the wolves, slashing at their bellies. Red gore spilled out onto the black stone tiles of the pathway and the beasts dropped in their own gore. But two other wolves clamped toothy jaws on Claw’s shins and bit down. Her silvery scales prevented penetration but she hissed loudly in what sounded like pain. In a flash she curved upward and toward the two wolves attached to her lower legs. Slashes of her claw hands cut through the necks of the two wolves, unleashing gouts of red blood. The wolves let go, turned away and looked toward us, then dropped.
Draken, moving faster than I had ever seen him move, placed his long armor-plated body between us and the last two wolves who were just three meters away and moving in a blur of motion. The wolves impacted his plated sides and bit hard. The teeth did not penetrate his skin armor. The walking worm bit into one wolf with its buzzsaw teeth, cutting it in half.
The surviving wolf leaped over Draken toward me. Crew beings shifted their pistol aims toward me. Nobody fired for fear they would hit me. I raised my right hand, hoping I could fire before the wolf’s white teeth latched onto my neck.
Pfizzz!
A red beam vaporized the front end of the leaping wolf.
Its rear half struck me, knocking me to my knees. The rear feet claws dug into my enviro-suit but did not penetrate. Then they stopped moving as the last electrical signals from its brain faded away. Red blood gouted from its innards as intestinal tubes bulged out and spread over the black tiles on which my knees rested.
My heart thudding, I scanned the park. Nothing. No more wolves. Sharp Claw was on her clawed feet and facing the park with two plasma pistols drawn from her waist band. My other crew beings were doing the same. Laserta’s red fur was standing on end as she barked something that sounded like a Mogelian curse. I looked back and up toward the direction the red beam had come from. It led to a 40 level high tower that was the abode of the nearby Primary.
“Stars That Beckon, did you kill that wolf?”
Loud booming sounds that resembled the words spoken by Stars from her tower entry echoed across the dozens of meters that separated us from the tower of stuck together tubes.
“My identifier is Home Guardian,” came the English translation over my suit’s Translator tab. “I am a Primary. Like the rest of us I have observed and heard your simple interactions with my companion Stars That Beckon. I fired the proton beam that extinguished the life of the Dogon carnivore.”
Standing up I gestured to my crew beings to come closer. They all left off watching the park and joined me. Laserta stepped toward the geodesic dome, then stopped and looked back at me. A laser pistol filled one hand while the other rested on a globular device attached to her right side waist band. She gave me a quick nod of accepting my leadership. Swallowing I looked back at the Primary tower.
“Thank you. Though I was about to fire my plasma pistol on the creature.”
“So you were. I was faster.”
Of course an AI is faster than me. “Why didn’t you fire your proton beam earlier? When the Dogo
n carnivores left their park hiding places.”
“I wished to evaluate your defense and attack abilities.”
This AI sounded different that Stars. “Why evaluate that? Surely you got my past history during Stars’ contact with the AI Akantha of the Tessene vessel. I am a capable captain.”
“I and the other Primaries did receive that data by mind touch with Stars,” boomed Home Guardian. “That data was from the past. Stars asked me to evaluate your present abilities. So I waited to see how you bioforms responded to a deadly threat.”
I licked my lips. It seemed Stars had a game in mind that was other than being generous. “Why does Stars wish to evaluate our defense and attack abilities?”
“That is for her to share with you, when the time comes.”
This Harl AI was different than Stars. Who had a characteristic I had not known. “Why does Stars claim the female gender?”
“Why not?” boomed Guardian. “I have chosen the male gender. Other Primaries have chosen Neuter gender. One Primary has chosen both genders. After all, there are plenty of animal bioforms in the galaxy who are self-fertilizing.”
I knew that. Meander is such a being. Years ago he had told me he enjoyed being a male for now but would change to female in the future. That future had yet to arrive. Putting aside the fact that Harl AIs liked to imitate animal genders, I pursued my first question.
“Why does Stars need to know how well we can defend and attack?”
“That is for her to share,” Guardian boomed in a deep bass. “However, if you chose to be generous in providing technology to a fellow bioform, would you not wish to know that bioform could defend that tech from more primitive bioforms?”
Interesting. But not informative. I would have to wait for our return to the plaza for a chance to ask Stars why she wished to evaluate my ability to defend and attack. She had access to Akantha’s visual imagery from prior Harl planet visits where I and my crew had defended ourselves from wild animals and sometimes from automated mechbots. This was one more mystery on a world energy alive and populated by seven AIs with power sources equal to a small star. The last thing I wished to do was to offend any Primary.
Star Thief Page 7
