ARMS Beckland's Fall: (Book 5)

by Stephen Arseneault

  "Let's see how a single one of these fares before we start building an army. Speaking of that, how easily can this processor bench be replicated? I'm thinking we may eventually want fifty to a hundred of these running full-time."

  "This bench is unique. It will take time to replicate the molecular growth chamber. The archives for this facility suggest it took several years of experimentation and adjustment before the process was a full success, although, I would assume much of that testing would not be required during a replication. Because of this, I cannot offer a firm schedule for its manufacture."

  "Well, I think we'll be needing them. So get started on that process if you could. And if it would help to have all the bots in here working on it, we'll call them in."

  "Thank you for placing your confidence in me, sir. I will begin the replication process at once."

  Tawn shook her head. "How is it your bot has become so polite?"

  "I asked him to. His snarkiness was starting to grind on me."

  "You don't say?"

  "Might do you good to have Boomer do the same."

  Tawn chuckled. "She can't be nasty and intimidating and polite at the same time. Those three don't mix. You go ahead and keep your people-bot. I like mine the way she is."

  The other bots were brought into the lab. As they slaved away at the initial construction of a new processor bench, their Human counterparts moved on to their bunks for a solid night's sleep. As the Midelon sun rose in the morning, the group gathered in the supply hut for breakfast.

  Harris sat staring at his usual ribs and eggs MRE. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm growing tired of my favorite meal."

  Tawn chuckled. "Six months ago you had me convinced that wasn't possible. What's changed?"

  "I'm down to a hundred fourteen kilos for one. Those runs have my energy up as well."

  Trish said, "That gut is finally receding on you. You look good. You should keep at it."

  Gandy added, "You've been a lot nicer lately too. Being porky made you mean."

  Harris chuckled. "Porky? I'd like to think of it as sturdy, stable." Harris glanced at his partner.

  "Don't look at me for a comment. I'm still about five kilos behind you."

  "It's just like anything else," Harris said. "Just a question of decision and determination. Set a goal and stick to it. And speaking of goals, I thought we'd ride out to Gondol again this morning. Maybe we get lucky and the Earthers are gone."

  Tawn shook her head. "Let's not waste our time. Farker, open a comm to Alex."

  An image of Alex appeared to float in front of the wall. "No need. I now have a permanent connection to this facility. Should you like to converse, simply pose any speech as if to me. And good morning to you all."

  Tawn said, "Can you do a scan of the Gondol system for us? We’d like to know if the Earthers are still there."

  "One moment... yes. And it would appear they have constructed a pair of semi-permanent buildings. I don't believe they are leaving anytime soon."

  Sharvie sighed. "Great. Any way we can convince them to go?"

  "Interesting," said Alex. "It would seem your prior engagements on Gondol have revealed a large deposit of titanium."

  Harris turned to face the display wall. "What? How?"

  "When the superweapon was fired into the mountainside, the ensuing landslide of molten rock uncovered the titanium ore. Not as substantial as the deposits on Eden, but readily available and in a much less harsh environment."

  Harris rolled his eyes. "Great. Now we have two sets of mines to destroy."

  Sharvie crossed her arms. "Why do these things keep happening?"

  Tawn winced. "This is not a good development. That system is unclaimed. The Domer politicians won't hesitate to let them have it."

  Alex said, "The revealed deposit will provide enough ore to build fifty to a hundred warships. I will require deeper scans to offer a full analysis."

  Harris shook his head. "Looks like we're doing a run out to Gondol."

  "Probably wouldn't hurt to do the same at Eden," said Tawn.

  "Miss Freely," Alex said, "I can perform a scan of the Eden system if you like."

  "I thought that was risky. Aren't you still vulnerable to a hack?"

  "Yes, but much less so since Miss Withrow conducted her cyber-experiment with the assistants. Changes have been incorporated into my security protocols that should prevent an intrusion before I have sufficient warning that an attack is underway."

  "You sure you can handle it?"

  "Relatively sure, yes."

  Tawn chuckled. "That was a fuzzy answer. If you assigned a percentage to it, what would be your confidence level for preventing an intrusion?"

  "I would estimate that to be 76 percent."

  "OK. So still a big risk."

  "I would refer to it as a much reduced risk."

  Sharvie asked, "Alex, would it be possible to have one of the bots perform the scan? They're isolated, and should have the same security protocols as you. We can afford to lose one of them. We need you. You run this facility."

  "An excellent suggestion, Miss Withrow. Should I ask Emily for assistance?"

  Sharvie frowned. "I guess."

  "One moment... the scan is complete. There was no evidence of an attempted intrusion."

  Harris said, "Give us the status of what's going on at Eden."

  "A single scan was performed. Two more will be required to offer full coverage. I can offer status on Fireburg now if you like."

  "Do that while you take the other scans."

  "Very well. The area has been cleaned of debris. There doesn't appear to be any attempt to reconstruct the dome. There are several modular buildings going up in its place. There doesn't appear to be any mining activity going on at this time."

  Harris nodded. "Good. Give us that same status for the rest of the planet when you have it. Only break out the individual sites if there's something unusual going on."

  "The scans are complete. The remaining mines appear to be in various stages of cleanup."

  "No mining," said Tawn. "Let's hope it stays that way for at least a few months."

  "Alex," Harris commanded, "open a comm to the colonel at the Retreat."

  The colonel's image appeared on the display wall. "Gruberg, what can I help you with?"

  "Just checking in. I have status from Fireburg I thought you might like. They've cleaned up the place and are constructing new buildings, but it doesn't look like they're close to mining yet."

  "We've had patrols checking. We have the same intel."

  "There's more. We've been out to the Gondol system. The Earthers are setting up shop there on a previously unclaimed planet. It's a low oxygen world, but we've just become aware that it has a substantial titanium deposit that can be readily mined. I would expect the Earthers to lay claim to this system anytime now. If so, we'll have two sets of mines we have to destroy."

  "Not like it will make a difference. You attack either one and our current government will disown the lot of you. With the Denzee gone, they're preparing for a future that's ruled by peace."

  Harris shook his head. "Earthers don't have that same vision."

  Idiot walked into the supply hut. "Mr. Gruberg, the processor is ready. Diagnostics showed no anomalies. Would you like me to load the programs and memories?"

  "Sounds good. Can I assume you'll have some testing to do once that's complete?"

  "Yes, sir. Perhaps a half hour if all is well."

  "Excellent. Come get me when you're done."

  Harris turned back to face the display wall. "All reports from the factories looking good?"

  "This morning's updates implied that. We should have two new Legion ships tomorrow."

  "Fantastic, Colonel. We’ll be calling those into service once those mines are gearing up."

  The comm closed.

  "We may finally be turning the corner. Another couple weeks and we'll have a force to be reckoned with to take up against the Denzee or the
Earthers."

  "Ten Legions and a dozen shields or more. I'm almost eager to take a force like that into battle. Alex, can you open a comm to Domicile? I'd like to talk to Mr. Morgan."

  An image of a groggy old man appeared. "This an emergency?"

  Harris shook his head. "No."

  "Then how about you don't comm me at 4AM. I need my beauty sleep, you know. All this handsome doesn't happen on its own."

  Harris chuckled. "My apologies. And for the record, you're funnier when you’re mad."

  "Two hours and I'll be up."

  The comm closed.

  Morning chatter filled the supply hut as they ate their breakfast MREs.

  Idiot came back into the room.

  "Sir, the processing unit is ready. Testing has confirmed a positive upload."

  "Is it ready to be moved?"

  "I took the initiative to construct a portable power unit. We will have four hours to reposition the processor before a charge or a new supply will be required."

  Harris stood, following his bot to the lab. "Interfaces hooked to anything?"

  An image appeared on a display wall. "Hello, sir. Active and ready for duty."

  "Have you been briefed on your mission?"

  "I have, sir. And I feel I am ready. Are we prepared to begin?"

  "Not just yet. We have to get you to Domicile, and we're not sure if we'll have a hull available to place you in."

  "We're moving fast on this," said Tawn. "You certain you want to turn a bot loose in its own fighter?"

  "The fighter requires fuel. Unless I'm mistaken, it will be reliant on Humans to refuel it. And it answers to me. And I would assume to Alex. Is that true?"

  Alex replied, "It is. You are first in command, followed by Tawn, Trish, Gandy, and Sharvie. I follow that chain, and each of the assistants follow after."

  "What about the colonel and Mr. Morgan?"

  "At what position should their command rank?"

  "Place both after Sharvie and before you. Should anything happen to us, the colonel and Mr. Morgan should be your next set of trusted Humans."

  "Those directives have been administered to each of the assistants, including this new processor."

  The new unit said, "Excuse me, sir. May I have a name assigned? It would be a preferred reference as opposed to the new processor."

  "Hmm. I'll have to think on that. Moron maybe?"

  Tawn sighed. "How about One? If we plan to build many of these, using enumerations might be a better option."

  Harris nodded. "OK. One it is."

  "Thank you, sir."

  "Idiot? How alike you is One?"

  "Programming and memories are identical up to ten minutes before the upload. From that point on, we are unique entities."

  "Good. I'd like One to wipe all memories of this lab and these procedures once we move out of this building. Is that understood?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "And, Idiot, you'll transfer any knowledge gained here today to Alex. Following that, once you leave this facility you too will scrub all recordings of the last day in this lab from your memories. Understood?"

  "I will fully comply."

  Harris held a generalized conversation with One for the next ninety minutes. At the end of that time, One was attached to the mobile power unit and carried out of the facility and into the supply hut.

  Gandy stood. "What is that? And are you finished with Reggie?"

  "We're heading to Domicile for a surprise. The bots are busy with a project and will remain here. You'll know what the surprise is when we arrive."

  Gandy stared at the unit in Harris' hands. "Is that a processor?"

  "You'll know when we get there. Here, you can carry it. Just be careful. It's not hardened against drops."

  As they made their way out to the Bangor, Trish followed her brother. "What do you think it's for?"

  "Might be giving it to Morgan to reproduce or something."

  The ride to Domicile was full of guesses. After landing at the Hosh-Morgan plant, the group walked through the main building and to the research facility.

  Bannis Morgan was waiting on his scooter. "Good. Come along. We've managed to mill the hull and load all the components. If the specs you sent me are correct, she'll be ready for a test in about three minutes."

  Gandy asked, "You're putting this in a ship?"

  Bannis waved his hand toward the first new ship of the fleet. "There we have it, the modified Banshee."

  Gandy stopped, his mouth open as he stared. "No way. What? Where'd this come from?"

  "It's a pour from the Denzee metal. We milled it out and installed the power and propulsion systems about an hour ago. They went in easy, which I like. This processor unit should drop right in."

  "Can I do it?"

  Bannis laughed. "Sure. It will only fit one way. Just ease her in. We'll switch power from your mobile unit to ship's power. After that, you can detach the supply and lift it out. A full tank of fuel, while at idle, should last several years. Of course you fly it around and you'll be burning it up. We cut 38 percent of the volume by eliminating the need to support a Human pilot. Makes her more efficient as well."

  Gandy gently lowered the unit into the tiny hardened cutout. A green light indicated power was coming from the ship. A latch loosed the mobile power pack and Gandy lifted it out. A hard door flipped shut and sealed, having an almost seamless fit.

  Bannis turned the group’s attention to the display on their left. "Now we see if any of this works. Each of those system indicators should switch to green as your unit takes control."

  Harris said, "We decided on a designation for the AI that inhabits that physical unit. We call it One. If we make another, it will be Two... and so forth."

  Bannis nodded. "Since these units can be dropped into any ship, I'd like to designate the pair as One One. Should work for any combination of AI and ship."

  "Sounds reasonable," said Harris. "Let’s just hope we start seeing some green."

  A comm request came in from One to Harris. "Sir, I'm currently being blocked from accessing the ship's systems. I've checked my interface connections. They all report proper diagnostic codes."

  Bannis looked over at his engineer. "Maxi, flip it."

  The engineer pressed a panel on the ship's hull. After popping open, a switch flipped and the panel closed.

  Bannis said, "You should have access, One."

  "Thank you, sir. The systems are now reporting."

  One by one the indicators on the display showed green. As the last designation glowed, One One lifted to a hover.

  Gandy grinned. "That is so cool."

  One said, "Sir, all systems have reported and are now integrated. What are your orders?"

  Bannis spoke into his comm. Twenty meters away, a large bay door opened to the bright sunshine outside.

  Harris waved his hand. "Take her out to free space. Run her through a series of maneuvers that will test her capabilities. Find a moon or a planet that's uninhabited, take a few practice shots with the railgun. Make a wormhole jump and then bring her back here and report."

  A rush of air knocked the group to the ground, pulling Bannis from his scooter. "What the…?"

  Harris chuckled as he pushed himself to his feet. "I guess we need to let it know to be careful when moving around Humans. I'll take the blame on this one."

  — Chapter 4 —

  * * *

  Bannis was helped back onto his ride. "We have full tracking ability piped to the display. As you can see, barrel rolls are happening right now."

  Gandy's head swirled around. "That's insane, the speed at which it can roll. And look at those turn parameters. Is the dampener field different?"

  "Same as on all our ships," Bannis replied. "The parts making up the systems on her are solid. Where you and I can take ten gees, those systems and that processor can take hundreds. I would imagine it's pushing the limits to find out what it can really do."

  Twenty minutes later the One One returned, sli
pping into the facility through the open bay doors and coming to a stop with the slightest rush of air felt by the onlookers.

  "One One," said Harris, "give us your evaluation."

  "All systems functioned without error. Dampening forces have been logged and are set as a new baseline. Those will be adjusted upward as new test data becomes available when on the battlefield."

  Bannis looked over the data on the display. "I don't smile much—too crotchety in my old age—but this is something that makes me want to grin from ear to ear. We’re on the cusp of having a fleet of semi-autonomous ships that will rival anything we've ever seen. And they're cheap to produce. With a thousand of these you could rule both New Earth and Domicile."

  Harris said, "Would rather those two rule themselves, but tell me, how long will it take you to transfer this production to the factories at the Retreat? It may take us a while to make the processors needed for such a fleet. I'd like to have the hulls ready for when that happens."

  "I'll have my team work up the transfer plans. It's a simple design. I would imagine we could have several lines running out there before the end of the month. My next question is, what resources do you want to divert from building Legions?"

  Tawn asked, "Would the old or the new facility be best for making these?"

  "The new. It has a pair of smelters that would be needed to fill these molds. Then we convert at least part of the new factory to Banshees." Bannis reluctantly winced. "Well... truth be told, bringing those smelters online will take three-quarters of your floor space out there. The Legion lines will have to be reduced to two at most."

  "But we still have the other factory," said Harris.

  "That we do. We'll have to shut down those other lines when this equipment arrives. Any ships under production will have to move to the other lines."

  Harris nodded. "Won't affect us, having our first dozen Legions on the current schedule. I say we do this. You said you have a new design for a smaller Centurion shield too?"

  "I do. I would suggest we move all Legion production to the old factory and use the remaining capacity at the new place for Centurions of both sizes."