The Warlord

by CJ Williams

  That idea was enough to make Freddi drop the subject.

  The manufacturing was completed that afternoon and Luke slept peacefully for the first time since he could remember.

  Suddenly, during coffee the next morning, it was time.

  “Commander,” Freddi said. “I am detecting a change in the gravity wake we’ve been following. If accurate it could be that Target One’s destination is the system dead ahead. If I begin maximum deceleration now our time to arrive is approximately two days.”

  That was the problem with space travel; deceleration. If the star ahead was the final destination, then Freddi had to start right now. But the change in velocity might be something else; possibly a feint. Perhaps they were slowing down only to use the star system as a turn point. If the Grey kept going and Freddi decelerated too much, she might never catch back up.

  “Does the star ahead have any planets?” Luke asked.

  “After the Greys’ last course change, I began examining that possibility. I am certain there are planets, but as yet, I am unable to determine if any are earthlike.”

  The direction of flight was taking them toward the galactic core. Closer than humans had ever been. Scientific consensus long held that humanity would not survive in this region outside the galactic habitable zone. There were many reasons; too much radiation, unstable star systems, weird gravitational anomalies and other complications.

  But Luke suspected this was the Greys’ home territory. Their thick dull hide might have evolved in such a high radiation environment. Something about the system felt right. It had to be their intended destination.

  “Start your deceleration,” Luke said. “Annie, I hope I’m right about this.”

  *.*.*.*

  “Arriving in system Oscar Eight Two,” Freddi announced. “Going sub-light at four AUs from the primary. Starting passive scans, launching recon drones.”

  “You sure Target One stopped here?” Luke asked, needing reassurance.

  “I’m positive, Commander. My wake analysis confirms they did slow to sub-light speed. Nevertheless, as a precaution I am launching several wake detecting reconnaissance drones. They will search outside of the planetary orbits for departing gravity wakes. But I feel certain this is where you will find Queen Annie.”

  This is it, Luke thought. After weeks of prep and strategy formulation, the fight to save Annie would begin in less than an hour.

  “What planet is she on?”

  “The fifth planet is the only one habitable. I detect an atmosphere and surface water. Telemetry is coming in and I am launching additional recon drones.”

  “Show me,” Luke said.

  The tactical display zoomed in until the globe filled the screen. Even here, this close to the galactic core, half the planet was water. The continents were standard land masses with mountainous regions inland, vast deserts in the interior and green cultivated areas along the coast.

  Freddi voiced his surprise. “I did not think there would be that much vegetation on a planet this close to the center of the galaxy.”

  “Life has a habit of persistence,” Luke said. “The red forests on the mountains are interesting though. I wonder what causes that?”

  “A surplus of carotenoids is a potential factor,” Freddi suggested. “Another reason could be the high metallicity of stars near the galactic core.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” Icons began appearing around the planet. “What are those?” Luke asked.

  “Communication satellites,” Freddi said. “It appears they do not have sensor capability. Clearly they are not expecting adversaries.”

  The recon drone entered orbit and began beaming scenes of an industrialized society with metropolitan areas. The scene zoomed in on a major city located along a coastline.

  “Is that a spaceport?” Luke asked.

  “Indeed it is,” Freddi said, freezing the screen before the drone moved away. “Notice that smaller vessel on the northern part of the landing area. That is the same type of ship that was carrying Queen Annabelle. There is no question.”

  “How long has it been on the planet?”

  “I would say not more than two or three days. Note the utility vehicles at its side. They appear to be engaged in servicing and maintenance.”

  “How close can we get to the planet without being detected?”

  Freddi didn’t want to commit. “Please let me gather additional data from our follow-on probes so I can give you a valid answer. Twenty minutes is all I need.”

  Now that they had arrived…now that Luke knew where Annie was…he just wanted to flame in and scorch the planet. It was difficult to be patient.

  *.*.*.*

  “Assessment completed,” Freddi said. His voice held a hint of satisfaction. “Our drone made passive contact with Queen Annabelle’s implant. I am posting her location on the screen.”

  The tactical display had updated several times while Freddi continued her global surveillance. But now it focused on the city where they had found the spaceport. An icon appeared near the city center.

  Freddi continued. “That appears to be a governmental complex, a city hall if you will. Queen Annabelle is being held in an extension of the main building; most probably a confinement facility. Standby…I am triangulating her exact position. It appears she is several floors below ground. That is a good thing, actually.”

  That would make her extraction more difficult. “How is that a good thing?” Luke asked.

  “As we have discussed, the background radiation on this planet is abnormally high due to its proximity to the galactic center. Prolonged exposure would be detrimental to human health.”

  “Won’t Annie’s implant take care of that?”

  “Of course,” Freddi replied. “But I was speaking of your daughter. The infant will be much more susceptible to the radiation hazard as she has not received an implant. She was born in captivity.”

  The words seared Luke’s consciousness. She was born in captivity. His and Annie’s daughter, their first child, was being treated like a piece of livestock and denied the basic health benefit that every citizen of the Nobility was entitled to. A red haze filled his vision. If it was the last thing he did, the Greys would pay for that. If his daughter was harmed at all, their entire species would pay for it.

  Freddi jolted Luke back to the present. “Commander? Commander!”

  “Yes!” Luke responded, struggling to focus his attention on what Freddi was saying. “I’m here. What?”

  “I asked if you agreed with this plan of attack. I have posted a proposed landing site on the tactical display but you seem to have blanked out. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m okay. Show it again.”

  The city was located on the continent’s western coastline, nestled in the foothills of low rolling mountains. The built-up section of the downtown was spread across the estuaries of half a dozen rivers. Finding a landing spot that met all his requirements would be difficult.

  Luke’s concept of the attack did not include having Freddi land in the middle of a metropolitan area. Unloading a hundred thousand robots was going to take time, even when the effort was coordinated by artificial intelligence. During those first critical minutes, the Phantom would be susceptible to counterattack.

  At the same time, he wanted to land as close as possible to Annie’s location. Timing was a crucial factor. Once the enemy realized an attack was underway, the danger for her would escalate.

  Luke had considered initiating the main assault from the city’s outskirts while simultaneously air-dropping a commando unit to rescue her. But if the main force got bogged down, she would be in more danger out of her cell than in it. There would be bullets flying everywhere.

  Freddi was suggesting a spot at the edge of the city limits. It was a wooded area on the far side of the southern river delta. Inside the tree line, there was a fair-sized clearing; big enough to marshal his forces. The forested terrain gave the landing site just enough cover to keep the Phanto
m out of sight during those first crucial minutes. From there they could begin an arrow-like thrust straight to city hall.

  When the attack started, Luke assumed the locals would not necessarily identify him personally, King Lucas of the First Family, as the attacking force, or that Annie was the target. His strategy included having Freddi launch communication drones to transmit spoofing commands from a supposed hostile force of Greys from a neighboring community. If that misdirection focused the local resistance away from Annie, even for a few minutes, Luke’s simulacrum might be able to reach her before anyone thought to use her as a bargaining chip or worse.

  Luke had already decided that there would be no negotiation. If he was not able to rescue Annie, he would not abandon her to a life in captivity. Nor would he withdraw even if his own situation became untenable. In every sense of the word, this was a do or die operation. His final backup plan was that if Barrett failed, Luke would launch a direct assault on the town square.

  At any point, if he discovered that Annie had died, and by assumption his daughter as well, he would not leave any Grey alive within the city limits. More than that; if they had killed his family, he would nuke the planet.

  Such retribution was certainly immoral; but the fact was he didn’t care anymore. Revenge would become his goal. He would die killing as many Greys as he could. He would kill anything that stood in his way of getting Annie back. He would—

  “Commander!” Freddi barked loudly.

  “Yeah!” Luke responded angrily. Come on! Luke chastised himself. Concentrate on the attack or just blow yourself away. You’re not helping Annie with that kind of negative thinking.

  He studied the tactical screen once more.

  Freddi again stated her recommendation to touch down in the clearing.

  “Is that a park?” Luke asked.

  “Negative,” Freddi replied. “It was a cultivated field that has been allowed to go fallow. I detect former crop lines.”

  The location looked ideal but it was a considerable distance to reach the city center.

  “How far to city hall from the clearing?

  “Thirteen-point-one statute miles.”

  “That’s a long way to penetrate a hostile resistance.”

  “True,” Freddi said. “However, the only resemblance to a military installation is located fifteen miles north of the city. The town itself appears to be a peaceful urban community. I assume the resistance will not be that strong.”

  “Be careful,” Luke cautioned. “Assumptions like that have lost a lot of wars. Explain why you picked this area.”

  “Very well,” she replied. “First, this is the closest concealed area. Second, note that our route to city hall is close to the spaceport. That will facilitate our spoofing.”

  “Show me the plan of attack.”

  Route lines appeared on the display. They led out of the forest and across one of the rivers. The crossing would occur at a narrow point where his bridging equipment would provide access.

  Freddi continued. “Our spoofing plan will inform the locals that hostile Greys are attacking the spaceport. We can use artillery and suppression fire to emphasize that belief. And third, the river delta along our route is solid ground. During the local rainy season, if there is one, the ground would be mushy. But I detect recent vehicle tracks which indicates a hard-packed surface. That gives you a virtual highway straight into the downtown area. From there, it is only three miles.”

  Luke studied the display for several minutes. Much of what Freddi said made sense. It was a long haul to reach the downtown area, but Luke’s mechanized force would make good time traveling over firm level ground. “Keep enough air support in reserve to block that army north of the city.” He pointed to several river crossings between the Grey military base and the downtown area. “Knock out those bridges without fail.”

  “Understood,” Freddi said.

  “I guess we’re ready then. When do we land?”

  “Touchdown in two minutes.”

  Luke left the bridge and headed for the cargo bay. He wanted to monitor the initial deployment of his forces. “The second we land, start unloading the soldiers.”

  “Acknowledged…touching down now…cargo bay doors open…military forces are deploying.”

  Luke carefully made his way through the rumbling mechanical warfighters rolling out of the cargo bay. At the unloading ramp, he stood to one side and watched. In a steady stream of fast moving metal, his soldiers rushed out of the Phantom.

  “It’s looking good.” This was just the way he imagined it.

  “Shall I manufacture your simulacrum now?” Freddi asked.

  “Another few minutes. Once the disembarkation is well underway I’ll give you the go ahead. I want Barrett to have a grasp of what’s happening with the robotic soldiers.”

  “That is not really necessary, Commander,” Freddi said. “Once you give the command, the replica will essentially become you as of that moment.”

  Freddi’s choice of words pricked a nerve. “What do you mean by that?” Luke asked. “Barrett is not going to be alive, is it? I mean, we’re just making another AI robot with my knowledge, right?”

  “That’s correct, Commander. It is a fact that we have broken new ground in the development of AI operations, but you are right. The bottom line is that unit Barrett will still simply be another artificial intelligence. It is not like it would be self-aware.”

  Chapter Nine – It’s Me

  What just happened, I thought? What am I doing in the engineering lab? In the middle of a replication bay, no less? I steadied myself on the replicator frame and that’s when I noticed my hands. They were made of the titanium alloy that Freddi had promised would be as flexible as skin.

  The memory came back. Just a few seconds ago I was standing on the loading ramp and told Freddi to create Barrett. Obviously, she had carried out the order. Except I wasn’t the one who gave the order. I was the result. I was the robot. The real Luke must still be outside. If I hadn’t seen my own skin, my new indestructible synthetic covering over an armored body, I would never have realized that I was now a contraption; an object for waging war.

  I didn’t feel like a machine. I paused for a moment to examine my feelings. A few minutes ago, I had sworn eternal vengeance against the Greys if they harmed my family. I promised to kill anything and anyone who stood between me and the woman I loved. And that was exactly what I was feeling right now. Freddi was wrong about not being self-aware. I had never felt more alive in my life.

  The virtual battles I had practiced for the last few weeks met a high standard for being realistic, but all the while, I knew I was a simulated person in a simulated world. But this was an entirely different level. I actually was alive.

  I shouldn’t be shocked though. No matter how many practice runs in the lab, the real world is always different. But then, when isn’t that the case?

  The voices of my generals filtered into my consciousness. It took thirty seconds and I knew the location of every single soldier. The unloading of my army was almost complete. My human counterpart should have initiated my creation a little earlier. I would have preferred to manage the army’s deployment on my own, especially since I was about to go into battle with them.

  To be fair, it actually was me that started deploying my troops. I could admit that now that I had mentally caught up with the situation. Which was good, because I didn’t want any disorientation right before the battle. Focus, I told myself. This was not the time to get whiny over unimportant details. I had work to do and the clock was ticking.

  I ran out of the ship, ordering my two division commanders to meet up. They complained, not unexpectedly. They needed to get oriented, and now I wanted them to drop everything just so I could get a personal update. But I needed to see for myself the status of our troops, the reality of our readiness.

  My senior commanders were the big Barbicans. I used them in all the leadership positions because of their mobility. And to be fair, it was
also because they had a slightly humanoid look. The command level Barbicans had upgraded AIs to direct the multiple tasks of their subordinates.

  “Division One, status check,” I said as the lead unit hurried to my side.

  “Perimeter established, Sire,” the Barbican replied. “Fifteen percent of my force is still disembarking.”

  “Division Two?”

  “Drones launched. Communications are spotty. The local radiation is going to be a problem. I request additional communication drones to act as relays.”

  “Where’s my battlewagon?” I asked.

  “Right here, Your Majesty,” Freddi’s feminine voice replied.

  I turned to find the armored personnel carrier ready to go. “Okay, hold on.” I faced my Barbicans once more. “Division One, we’re moving out now. Have your stragglers catch up.”

  “Acknowledged. Sire, that human is trying to get your attention.”

  That shook me just a little. I thought I was the only human on the planet. I whipped around and relaxed. My human self was waving at me. What did he want? I thought. I’m kind of busy right now. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to check in. I walked over and gave him a nod but he grabbed my hand and shook it.

  “Good luck, Barrett,” he said.

  That put me off a bit because my name is Luke. I didn’t take offense, I could tell he meant the words sincerely. I would too in his position. Be gracious. “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll be back before you know it. And I promise you that I won’t be alone.”

  “I’m counting on it,” the man said. “I’ll have the yacht ready to go by the time you return and then I’ll take Annie and Rosa while you clean up here.”

  You’ll what? I thought a little irritably. It took a second to recall that the plan—his plan—was that when we got back I would hand over my wife and daughter. Then he would fly off and live with them happily ever after, while I committed hari-kari along with all my soldiers.

  That is the plan, my conscience reminded me. In fact, I came up with it for a lot of good reasons. But my current existence was just so real I had trouble accepting the situation.