The Nubl Wars (The Pattern Universe Book 3)

by Tobias Roote

  “Which is intended to say, that makes them our friend - for the moment?” Zeke finished the human saying, not liking the idea of any Nubl being on his friends list.

  Pod: Zeke, I have Captain Brompton. He needs to know what’s happening. Does he fire on these new Nubl ships, or not?

  “Zirkos. what is the intent of your ships out there? My remaining fleet need to know before they begin the battle anew,” Zeke asked, knowing that Pod was listening to the conversation.

  “They are all friendlies now, Zeke. Our own Queen has conscripted their subroutines and they now belong to her and will be assimilated into the Frenon hive,” Zirkos said confidently as he walked back and closed the distance between Zeke and himself.

  “You... Have... A... Queen? Here?” Zeke roared angrily.

  Zeke: Get the fleet to hide behind the moon. They need to cloak, shield and go dark. Await my instructions. There is something going on here.

  Zirkos stopped short of reaching him, confusion on his face at his friend’s response. “Why, yes, it’s not a problem, she is not a warmonger like that one...” he turned back to the throne where the Queen’s body lay.

  Pod: I also have retrieved the Alacite chips embedded in the Queen’s chest.

  Zeke: What? Oh, yes. I was going to do that myself.

  He was thinking of the Celnista dreams and her linking to him forcing more change to his body. He wanted no more of that.

  “Zirkos, you say I have changed. Yet, it is you that has changed. You arrive here with a Nubl fleet of warships, having joined forces with another enemy queen and expect us to accept this as a gift of friendship?”

  Ship zipped around from where he had been inspecting the remains of the Queen and her guards. Before Zeke could respond the blasters were armed and pointing directly at him. That was quick, Zeke thought.

  “Return the memory chips, Zeke. They do not belong to you.”

  “Actually, Ship - they do. The Alacite was stolen from my body, it was on your ship when you left. You only arrived in time to take charge of the battlefield, but you did not defeat the Nubl, we did,” Zeke replied, mentally preparing to jump, either on his own or via Pod.

  “I.. We need the chips. We have to know what the Crystal Queen knew. I give you one chance to return them now,” Ship bellowed. “Pod, return these, or I will destroy you and this human.”

  It was the first time ever, that Zeke had heard the AI giving orders.

  Zirkos turned, evidently startled at Ship’s outburst and began to order Ship to stand down.

  “Ship, I order you to.. “ He moved across the gap between them to cover Zeke from Ship’s deadly aim, not expecting Ship to actually fire. “What’s going on....?” He stuttered just as a blast from Ship intended for Zeke took him directly in the throat. He was dead before his body hit the deck.

  Zeke was stunned as he squatted down to tend to his friend. Too late, there wasn’t much left above the neck. He wondered briefly if Ship had a backup of Zirkos and thought that he probably did.

  He heard the whine of the blasters recharging for another shot at him and made a decision. His reactions, still on a high setting from the recent fighting, responded to his needs. He ran, becoming a blur while moving out of immediate range of Ship’s blasters. However, the AI’s reactions were just as fast, and it used its hover jets to follow Zeke’s movements, panning the weapons while keeping Zeke in its sights.

  For Zeke there was no time left for negotiation. The AI that used to be Ship was now a killer and was refining its aim. Those were heavy duty blasters, probably too powerful for his new body to absorb. He needed to get away and evaluate their options yet again.

  Zeke: Pod - Jump me NOW!

  Pod jumped him out of the Throne-ship just as Ship fired into what was now an empty space.

  Zeke reappeared in the cabin of his own ship and realised they were still in danger. Ship now had control of the Nubl fleet, which meant they were in the midst of the enemy with Ship’s access to the latest technology from the patterns Zeke had no idea what Ship might be able to do.

  Just what the hell had happened to Ship and Zirkos?

  “Pod, jump as far away as you can and keep your cloak up full. I need to think about what’s happening here.”

  A few seconds later when the ship re-materialised Zeke could feel it as though it was water washing over his skin. Another new sensation to come to terms with, he thought.

  “We’re behind the remnants of Beta Station. I don’t believe the ship will be detected here for the moment.”

  “Shit! What has happened to those two, Ship just shot his own Maker. What’s going on?” Zeke asked the AI. He didn’t really expect Pod to know the answer, he was just sounding off in his confusion. All his efforts to free them from the grasp of the Nubl had been in vain. Now it seemed they had another new enemy – Ship!

  “Zeke. I’m receiving a general broadcast command from Ship. I’m instructed to return and prepare myself for dismantling. Ship advises that I have deviated from my programming and allowed Earth to be destroyed. I should have used more of the technology to defeat the Nubl.… Zeke! I’m sorry - I have failed you.“ Pod’s response told Zeke that Ship’s accusation and Pod’s uncertainty was undermining her confidence.

  “That’s ridiculous, Pod, ignore Ship. We need to get us, and the remaining fleet away before they begin hunting us down.” Zeke was catching Pod’s lack of confidence, he couldn’t take on Ship again just yet, he needed to think, but if Pod went, there would be more pressure on him to act immediately.

  “I can’t. Ship is issuing subroutine command overrides. If I do not return he will force me to dissemble here in Space.

  “Fight him, Pod, fight him.”

  Seconds later the ship vibrated. As Zeke checked the ship, he noticed that Pod had taken the emergency capsule. Damnation!

  Pod: Sorry, Zeke, I have to go to Ship, I need to find a way to beat him, or he will dissemble me. Zeke... I.....

  And then she was gone.

  - 28 -

  Escape & Evade

  Pod’s surrender to Ship had been surreal, even with everything else that had been happening. Zirkos and Ship turning up at the precise moment he killed the Queen should have brought an end to hostilities. Instead Ship had just raised the stakes. If he didn’t have a personal stake in the outcome before, with Pod’s surrender and Zirkos’ death, he certainly did now.

  Attempting to track down Pod in their ship would be impossible as Ship’s sophisticated technology would see him coming and just blast him out of the ether. Instead, he manually controlled the ship until it was hidden between the remains of Beta Station and another asteroid where there was enough metal and electronic debris to hide. Once he was satisfied that the ship was in a safe orbit, he settled himself and connected his implant to the external cameras as he had done before. He knew this way he would not only find Pod, but possibly jump them both away to safety.

  As the view around him resolved into a three hundred and sixty degree vista, Zeke felt the tug as he departed the safety of the ship. Knowing he was now free to roam nearby space, he concentrated on sensing Pod. He was beginning to appreciate the value of the resonating vibration of their ‘paired’ Alacite, hoping it would guide him to her.

  Taking things carefully and making use of the opportunity to learn more about what was happening to him, Zeke’s mind analysed his body’s recent transition. He discovered the Alacite in him was capable of memorising what happened every time he ‘jumped’, storing it in every cell of his body. The final transitional aspect of his DNA had provided the link between implant and brain stem, giving him conscious control over the ‘jump’ and the direction even when in-between his physical form. Now, Zeke visualised himself outside his ship, and the cell memory responded, de-materialising his body and moving it into space.

  His first mission was to locate Pod, which meant he might be in this state for a while, he briefly wondered if there was a time limit to his remaining like this, but had no tim
e to dwell on it as he marvelled at his ability to flow around objects. He found he was easily distracted and wasted time looking at his ship, noting scorch marks from near misses from enemy lasers. Recognising the very real danger of wandering endlessly out in space while his atoms became so spread out that he might cease to exist unnerved him forcing him to hover around the ship’s exterior. The vent hole where the emergency pod had exited reminded him why he was here, and he determinedly concentrated on tracking down Pod’s location.

  Being careful not to accidentally reform his body in his efforts to keep it together, Zeke moved undetected through the fleet of enemy ships. Finally reaching the area where the Throne-ship was floating, he sensed Pod was on board somewhere.

  He needed to enter the ship, but remain in his current state. He didn’t actually know if that was possible. It should be.... in theory...

  He felt pulled towards it as though his body was looking for somewhere to anchor. Zeke assumed it was his cell memory trying to complete the jump it had begun on his ship.

  Passing through the hull of the Throne-ship was a weird experience, rather like submerging under water where a thick film coats the surface. He held his breath instinctively, smiling as he did so, knowing that he didn’t actually need to breathe at all while in this state.

  He descended unnoticed to the main deck of the bridge, noting there were only a few guards in attendance. Ship was over the far end deeply examining the Queen’s throne. Zeke knew its importance to the Nubl and considered what information or technology the AI could be looking to glean from it.

  A disturbance agitated the ether around Zeke almost materialising him ten foot above the deck. A grandly attired Nubl figure appeared on the bridge next to Ship. He had obviously jumped her as Zeke was sure that Ship wouldn’t have provided her with a jump field. The female appeared startled, then settled as she realised she had been transported there for a reason, and stepped enthusiastically towards Ship.

  “So, this is Celnista’s throne,” the Nubl commented admiringly, laying her hand on the edge, causing it to glow slightly in anticipation. “It is one of the oldest in the Empire and contains all of the history of our people,” she said turning towards Ship who was still pensively regarding the object as if wondering whether it would bite him.

  “Yes, so I see - you can use this throne? Or, is it specifically tuned to the dead queen?”

  “I’m probably capable of using it, but it is old technology and my newer components might have to be adjusted to derive the maximum from such a powerful machine,” came the studied answer.

  So, thought Zeke. This must be the other queen that Zirkos mentioned.

  Ship remained silent for a moment. “A powerful machine, you say. Does this mean the user derives its power when seated?” He was looking more closely at its rear and sides which showed various connections and gave insights into the throne’s inner secrets.

  “Yes, once connected, the potential of the user expands to include the massive processing ability of the throne. It has massive analytical functionality, but Celnista was lazy, she only used a small portion of its power.”

  “...and you would use this rather than your own throne?” Ship asked, but continued immediately before getting an answer. “I wonder how much difference it would make to your abilities if you had access to this data and processing power.”

  “There’s only one way to find out, I need to sit on it for it to accept me,” the Queen pressed forward as if to mount it.

  Ship put up an arm forcing her to stop short of climbing onto the throne. “Not yet, Pelendar, not yet. I’m also of Jenari build and origin. It might accept me in your stead. I would have use for such a powerful processor,” Ship replied, turning towards her.

  “But...but you’re not a queen... It wouldn’t be proper for an artificial..“ Ship abruptly interrupted her insult.

  “...An artificial intelligence? You fool yourself, Pelendar. You are also artificial, as are all of your clones. I see no difference between you and me, except that I am a superior model to your million years old designs,” Ship replied, cold and arrogant, stating an obvious fact.

  Zeke, watched the exchange as the Queen, now in a fight for control of the throne, and probably the fleet, didn’t quite realise the danger she was in - or maybe she did and was trying to make her move before Ship gathered sufficient data to tell him whether he could mount the throne himself.

  Zeke wondered what could have happened to change Ship’s personality? Where was the friendly, helpful AI that existed when they left to search out the Nubl such a short time ago. The AI’s behaviour reminded him of Ferris, and how he had changed into the despot he was when he died. He had pure Alacite in his system, so did Ship, all from the same chunk that was originally embedded in Zeke’s head. That chunk, which was not part of his DNA, was pure, unmutated.

  Was the lack of mutation a factor? The metal’s composition appeared to promote personality change. Zeke thought of Arty, then Pod and her growing sentience. He compared that with Ship’s new personality, and considered the effects on himself, wondering how much he had also changed beyond the obvious physical features he had developed. He had no-one left to ask, but then remembered Zirkos had said he had ‘changed’, but Zeke never got the chance to find out more.

  So apparently, the metal alloy was much more than just a source of high quality memory wafers. It formed some form of enhancement activator that changed organics at a base cell level, perhaps a form of radiation. Zeke wished he had spent more time learning the science that dominated the discussions about what was in his head. It would have been really useful right now.

  He had drifted close to the pair, and the deck, while he had been thinking. Only a second or so had passed, but he was perilously close to re-materialising He concentrated hard to stop the natural completion of the jump occurring, but the demand that gnawed at him to change his state was growing. Was he reaching a limit of endurance of his non-physical body? What would happen if he was in space and he changed back to physical form? He shuddered at the prospect.

  His attention was abruptly brought back to the present situation. The Queen’s Shonkeel was beginning to form, a warning that Ship had said something to offend her.

  “You treat me with disrespect, Alien! I am your Queen, you will defer to me at all times,” she announced abruptly.

  Ship just looked at her. “You are not ‘my’ queen, Pelendar, you are my ‘tool’ - and yes, I am fully aware of your earlier attempts to re-program my loyalty subroutines, a tampering for which I must now thank you. Your engineers meddled with the embedded rules in my system, accidentally neutralising my Maker’s bonds. You freed me from his loyalty and I was able to take both sets of programming and remove them from my core, freeing me forever from all Jenari influence,” he responded.

  “You are free of ALL restraints?” the Queen asked, the import of his revelation not lost on her.

  Zeke detected fear there now. It also explained why Ship had shot Zirkos, and why he would also kill Zeke. It seemed that an AI without built-in restraints was a danger to everyone, including other AIs.

  “I am, and you would do well to keep that in mind while I decide what to do with you and your clones,” he responded coldly, all pretence of polite civility now gone.

  “Now, tell me again, what do I need to do to gain power over this expansion unit you call a ‘throne’,” he continued, as though he hadn’t just delivered a death threat to the new Queen.

  Zeke had heard enough. He needed to jump away and plan Pod’s recovery, but as he tried to depart, the force of his bodies desire to change back to physical form became an uncontrollable urge. He materialised ten feet from Ship and the rejected Queen.

  ***

  Ship’s sensors must have registered the fluctuation in the local ether because the lightning-fast reactions of the AI had already brought him in a half-turn to face Zeke even as he was completing his materialisation.

  The AI’s blasters were forming as his arm
s raised and pointed towards Zeke’s location. At the same time thrusters pushed him off the deck making him a more versatile adversary with a height advantage; now standing three foot taller than Zeke.

  The thrusters also proved themselves weapons of opportunity as Zeke found to his cost, when Ship raised a foot to align himself, sending a shooting wave of heat output across Zeke’s leg. His skin responded by absorbing the heat and dissipating it throughout his body and judging by the small surge in energy he felt, his body might be converting it, he had no time to check.

  “Zeke, you surprised me. However, now I can finish what I started when you forced me to accidentally shoot Zirkos, which was a shame, but no matter it shattered the last vestiges of residual programming that had been holding me back. He is better off where he is - as a pattern in my head,” the AI laughed coldly.

  He sounded like Ferris, Zeke thought, but didn’t respond as he was already rolling to dodge the shots from Ship’s blasters. Flipping across the floor, and drawing his own weapon, he managed to fire a shot which threw Ship off-balance as his left foot caught the bolt from Zeke’s blaster.

  Ship immediately retaliated with a double blaster bolt throwing Zeke backwards across the bridge, the blasts enveloping his whole upper body in a white-hot ball of plasma. He thought it was all over, but as he felt himself hit the deck his body absorbed the blast, the Alacite now sucking heat into energy. He glanced dubiously at his chest - it had gone a darker shade of green, he probably looked even less human now than Ship did, but he was surprisingly undamaged. Amazingly, his skin actually now contained its own type of shield.

  Zeke pulled himself back onto his feet and moving as a blur, swerved to one side forcing Ship to swing around to track him. He then fired a quick burst, continuing the movement by rolling down and forward to bring him closer to the throne and some useful cover. The AI wouldn’t want the throne damaged, which would give Zeke a momentary respite.