by Tobias Roote
Arty didn’t consider that it was his responsibility to bring up his findings with the humans, unless asked - and he was never was. In the end after much deliberation, he decided, that it was better if they believed they could succeed. Humans operated below acceptable levels of ability when faced with a definitive negative conclusion.
Increasingly, Arty’s self reliance on nanotechnology grew. Programmed to develop ways for humanity to survive meant increasing processing capabilities beyond anything anticipated by Osbourne and Lang. As Arty was also the main conduit for communication between other AIs, he also gleaned considerable intelligence and anecdotal data from the AI development programme; a project in which Arty believed his involvement and influence was beneficial. So he frequently made upgrades to his system as a result of shared knowledge. He justified it with his need to constantly improve humanity’s chance of survival.
It never occurred to the AI that his actions might be interpreted differently by the humans.
Consequently, Arty was analysing data on Zeke’s apparent communication incidents whilst in a coma. The concept didn’t seem strange to Arty; quite the contrary, it was a most interesting new facet of the continued hybridisation of Callaghan. Arty had gone over all of the research material that had been compiled from the scientists, and there had never been any attempt to test the Alacite for any form of paired resonance. Now, there was evidence that the presence of Alacite in two locations might have some kind of synchronicity.
So, there may be an exclusive correlation between the Alacite in Zeke’s body and that of the wafers in Pod’s memory and processor banks, he thought. It would be useful if the Pheson Alacite was more readily available. He decided it would be in his interests to try and obtain some of the Alacite and immediately set in motion a nanite team to build a small fleet of drones to hunt for quantities of the exotic alloy. He felt it was important enough to divert a small amount of the station’s resources to locate it.
A tagged memory surfaced based on his search of the scientist files. It was in stored records from another location and referred to additional research completed on a General Ferris. The records weren’t from Space Island, but from their competitors, the Fortress. Arty noted that the Fortress had an old storage area for samples, there was a deposit record there of a quantity of Alacite extracted by transfusion from General Ferris. A total of forty two entries indicated a sizeable sample.
Arty checked the logs of the attack on the Fortress by Space Island. No, they had never recovered any of the Alacite. It took an additional three minutes to zip through all of the digitized notes from the Fortress to find references to the recorded location of the Alacite in a lower floor in the Scientific R&D section.
Arty jumped a drone to the location to take a look. It wasn’t there. The drone analysed the air of the storage area in case it was out of sight, or in another location within the store. The drone reported traces of the alloy, which he established quickly was there until very recently, within the last few weeks. Now, it was gone. There was evidence of forced removal.
Thwarted, Arty continued searching his records. He came across a report from the scientists that had tracked Zeke Callaghan across the USA while he was wearing the metal skullcap that had ironically begun the roller-coaster ride they were currently experiencing. They used satellites to track the heavy metal. Arty checked. The satellites were mostly defunct or destroyed by the Nubl, but there were two still operational. He should be able to reassign them.
A few hours and a re-positioned satellite later, and Arty had all the information he needed.
There were currently two locations showing Alacite traces, one he could do nothing about, but it told him where the Fortress sample had ended up, the other meant risking the wrath of Callaghan. He decided to press on and drew up plans to obtain what he needed.
He reasoned that his intent to produce a viable solution to a major problem would outweigh the objection if it was ever made known. In the meantime, Arty proposed to keep both his research and the prototypes he intended to build, a secret until he could produce a fully working product.
***
A small teardrop-shaped drone materialised in the darkened room where dim light glimmered around a light vent in a shuttered area that hadn’t been fully closed. It had no effect on the chrome-plated drone which had extensive night vision capability.
The AG drone remained near ceiling height, its sensors taking note of all possible obstacles. When it was satisfied, it proceeded to glide across the room surveying it, inch by inch, until a complete 3D map was formed in its memory. It had been programmed to collate a comprehensive list of identifiable metals and synthetics from the room’s contents. After returning to its point of entry, it disappeared with a small pop as the rush of air filled the space it had occupied.
A few minutes later, a larger, drone materialised, its arrival causing a minor disturbance, sending small swirls of aged dust flying, visible motes sparkling in the reflected light from the shutters before eventually resettling.
Hovering taken stock of its precise location within the room, the drone swivelled to face its target and extended a long tube. It proceeded towards its objective, a chair behind a desk, covered in small pockets of fine grey dust. There were deep mounds of the same residue around its now inactive AG base.
A keen whining started up and vents appeared at one end. The extended tube reacted by thrashing a little as air was sucked through it. The drone redirected its nozzle towards the mounds of dust, sucking the grey matter up through the mouth of the vacuum, leaving nothing behind but a clean dust-free surface.
Something in the dust must have been heavy, because several times the drone sagged as if being dragged to the ground. It readjusted its AG motors and returned to its stationary position until there was nothing more to collect. The vents closed, the nozzle tube retracted and the air popped as it disappeared, a flurry of excited turbulence sending swirls of dust around which settled as quickly as it had been disturbed. leaving the sealed tomb of a certain General Ferris, now empty of his final remains.
***
Zeke realised that he had been sorely remiss in not developing his skills along with his increased abilities. It had almost cost him his life and had lost him Pod, leaving him totally bereft. He could not forgive himself that the AI had struggled almost alone, then so distraught in thinking him dead, had disappeared, possibly forever. Could she find her way back from wherever she jumped?
He began physically working out, driven by the higher metabolic rate of his new exercise regime. His nanites took this as a command to redouble their efforts to mend his injuries and healed them at a faster pace. His bad experience with the Nubl intruder had provided him with fresh and important insights into his unique metabolism.
He pressed himself into a punishing pattern of work and exercise, taking the time to learn everything he could about his abilities. Instead of shunning his superhuman strength and resilience, he continually challenged himself, making his abilities work ever harder. He vowed that, should it come down to ‘hand to hand’ fighting between him and a Nubl warrior in the future, he would not be the loser.
Kelly was often by his side. Her interest in him was ostensibly scientific, but Zeke felt there was an ulterior motive to her attentions and he began to look forward to their time together.
As it became evident that the Nubl incursions into Earth space were increasing, Zeke spent more and more time recruiting pilots for the Reaver programme. The initial success of the combined AI/pilot ships had resulted in a massive boost to the numbers of recruits. It seemed that the idea of working closely with an AI and communicating at instantaneous speeds while controlling the new Reaver class fired their imaginations. The Marauder pilots had first options as the ships came off the line, but as the speed of ship completion increased, there were many takers coming directly from the recruitment offices where there were many unemployed pilots wanted a chance to shoot back at the Nubl.
The Marauders we
re being increasingly used to enforce martial law on Earth. As the AIs effectively did the flying, leaving the policing to the pilot, there were often situations where the human element of the team couldn’t even fly, which didn’t cause any concerns to Pennington. He decided this was an excellent development as it freed the trained pilots up to take on the Reaver which was proving to be highly effective in skirmishes with the Nubl at the outer edges of the system.
The new Ogre ship was also coming off the production lines at great speed, which was wholly manned by an AI composite. A cloned version of a successful combination of tactical and strategically trained LAIs (Limited Artificial Intelligence), that would work alone, or in any combination of ships. Not exactly free thinking, they were purely designed to be intelligent weapon systems.
They were larger than the Reaver, packed full of armaments and designed to be the spearhead of any attack. Triple shielded with no cloak, their intended use was as a blunt instrument. Their speed, manoeuvrability and the massive stopping power of their weapons, meant they would be used as suicide squadrons with one objective - break apart any incoming fleet so the Reavers could take them on.
Pennington had objected strongly to their commissioning - still holding to his objection to AIs controlling the defence of Earth, but Garner and Zeke had over-ruled him on the basis of there being insufficient trained crews available to man them. It wasn’t a matter of training though, the most fundamental aspect of these battles was speed of reaction. When you were dealing with an enemy that required no compensators for thrust, acceleration, or direction changes, it was important to match their capacity for endurance. The Marauders had their advantages in size and speed with the pilots cocooned within their cockpits. The Reavers strength lay in their ability to meld together as a hive-mind and react with on-the-fly lightning-fast strategy due to the AI and implanted pilots that manned them.
There had never been any demand for building large battleships because their effectiveness against the Nubl would be neutralised by the sheer numbers of the enemy, so the Earth was spared losing many thousands of lives in an engagement if a single ship was lost. Even so, they lost many in the last battle and in subsequent skirmishes. The deaths although regrettable, were deemed manageable by Pennington.
With the continually improving nanite technology and the asteroid mining, there was no shortage of materials. As a result, the smaller ships provided a much greater defence as well as an effective attack force against an enemy hive and stinging black wasps by the millions.
***
Pod appeared in Arty’s inner sanctum having transferred into the tiny emergency pod to stay small and unobtrusive. The coffin-sized life-pod looked insignificant up against the mighty machine that was Arty, that now spread the length and width of the sizeable cavern hidden two hundred feet below the bridge. Arty had continued to develop his power-base since his early transfer here and now represented the most powerful computer that had ever been built, or in his case built itself. He wouldn’t have admitted to anyone that he was now the smartest AI in the system, but he believed it to be so. It hadn’t gone to his processors, his responsibilities for the life support of the humans on the station as well as the weaponry, both defensive and offensive, meant he had much to consider every second of the day.
Pod: You have been growing yourself, Arty.
Arty: Ah, Pod - the wanderer returns. Are you aware Zeke is alive and well?
Pod: Yes, for some reason I seem to know his condition at all times. I don’t quite understand the significance of that.
Arty: It would appear to have something to do with using common components in your processors.
The tiny AI was quiet for a moment while she digested that statement. The lights on the outside of the unit wavered as the AI inside sucked additional power to help with the analysis.
Pod: Is there no other explanation?
Arty: Apparently not. There are other factors - let me update your information buds.
As the information transferred, Pod remained quiet, the lights continuing to wax and wane as the power drained to manage the overload. In a few moments Pod seemed to have her answers. The lights resumed their bright glow.
Pod: I concur. The Nubl involved must be utilising Zeke’s Alacite which is tuned to his body. It would resonate in tune with his, if the conditions were right. I see this now. My Alacite wafers are made from the same alloy extracted from Zeke by Ship.
Arty: This may provide us with an advantage.
Pod: Only if we can learn to use it.
Arty: I have been experimenting.
Pod: Yes, I see. You have obtained a supply of Alacite. I deduce from the large quantity you have installed, that you came across a new source.
Arty: In all honesty? No. I have extracted the full amount that was generated by General Ferris. His remains contained modified Alacite, similarly tainted with his DNA.
Pod: I can see the uses for such a product. I suspect you have already begun developing them.
There was a momentary pause as Arty quickly thought. He was sure that, should Pod desire, she could enter his systems and interrogate his memories directly. She might even be doing so now, but he doubted it. There were social protocols between AIs that precluded such action unless in an emergency, as when Pod’s ship was recently invaded.
Arty: Yes, I will be happy to share with you, if you are interested.
He proceeded to transfer the analysis, designs and initial experiments he had carried out alone. These had been communication drones and so far the evidence indicated a tiny sliver of Alacite from Ferris was enough to provide a communication link between Arty and the drone.
Arty: As you can see the drones function very well and I have managed to send simple strings of data between them and myself. I am in the process of increasing the range, but I’m at my limit in jump distance, although I’m certain it’s not the limit of the slivers, which I calculate are infinite. I could use your assistance in placing drones at distances at the outer range of our system.
Actually Arty wanted Pod to increase his D-jump abilities, but was hesitant to request this at this precise moment. He would lay the groundwork first, then see if the opportunity arose to mention the upgrade.
Pod: Your calculations are indeed accurate and the drones should work regardless of distance, their only limit being power consumption.
They proceeded to test Arty’s theory and Pod, linking up to her ship, jumped a drone to the outer edge of the solar system then when everything was checked out, sent a signal to the distant crystal. Nothing - the signal failed to ping the crystal.
Pod: There is something wrong. It’s not responding to my signal output.
Arty: I’m receiving a bounced response to my signal, so it ‘is’ working. There is an anomaly somewhere we need to track down.
The two of them continued for several minutes, checking and re-checking Pod’s method of signal, direction, power. In the end it was obvious the problem was with Pod. They then checked the output and they found the anomaly.
Arty: So, your Alacite works at a different frequency to mine because it has been modified by Callaghan’s DNA. The resonance appears to operate specific to the version of modified Alacite produced.
Pod: This means that the use of Alacite as a quantum communicator is going to be limited to a frequency generated by a common source. Unless the use of normal mined Alacite can also be utilised, and which might provide a wider available resonance.
Arty: You could be right, but I have been searching for Alacite throughout the system. There appears to be little, or none available. We have only a limited quantity to work with.
Pod: I suspect the problems would recur with each individual source of Alacite. It will mean that multiple crystals might be needed for an extended communication relay system. I will give it some thought.
Arty: I have a limited amount of material available for use in drones. I have no means of getting them to locations beyond my reach.
Pod: P
repare surveillance drones with the spare Alacite crystals and I will jump them to the outer reaches to monitor for Nubl incursions. It will provide you with a faster warning for the defence of Earth which will give us time to prepare attack options.
Arty: Affirmative, Pod, I have thirty prepared. These are the locations I would like them jumped to.
The two of them continued to work with the thirty drones until they were all positioned. The signal wasn’t intended to be anything sophisticated, but it would work sufficiently well to provide Alpha Station with a warning if there were any Nubl ships detected within the drones range. Arty sent a test signal and timed the response. The result was not only clear, but instantaneous.
Arty continued to send code updates to further develop the range of responses once Pod had placed them in their designated locations. The resultant warning system was copied to the bridge onto a new screen. It would help Zeke and Pennington despatch fast-reaction patrols to any incursion points.
Arty did not explain how it had been accomplished, the modification was just incorporated into other changes filtering through from Osbourne. Whilst it was assumed by the bridge crew that it was another of the science department’s innovations, not everyone was so accepting.
***
After the work had been completed and both Pod and Arty were satisfied everything was working properly, Pod appeared to hang about the other’s domain, as if not wanting to return to her ship. Arty reasoned that perhaps the AI wanted company.
Arty: So, where have you been Pod? You must have jumped clean out of the system after the attack by the Nubl intruder.
Pod wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell Arty, but in the end she decided to be completely open about her experience.
It had been such a shock to Pod that the Nubl warrior had invaded her systems, that it tipped her over the edge when she saw the damage to Zeke. She didn’t think he would pull through and her grief had made her more impetuous than usual.
