by Doug Farren
Chapter 31
Bored of just sitting in the chair, Melissa got up and walked over to the monitor controlling the ship’s cameras. It took her only a moment to find one that showed a view of the soon to be abandoned Ba’Rutu warship. Even though she knew they were near a large planet, she had no idea what it looked like. She had been expecting to see a barren ball of rock but was shocked when the image of a beautiful gas giant appeared. The Ba’Rutu warship was nothing more than a tiny silhouette of blackness against the wild bands of colors encircling the planet. Not far from the warship was a huge number of very large rocks slowly tumbling and bumping into each other.
“What is all this?” she asked.
“It is a small satellite that has been involved in a collision with another satellite. This has exposed their cores which are rich in high-density ore. The debris will eventually be pulled into the gas giant’s atmosphere.”
“It doesn’t look very safe. Some of those rocks look like they’re going to hit.”
“The area is exceptionally dynamic and dangerous,” the warship replied. “That is most likely why this mining operation is totally automated. It also explains why a Ba’Rutu warship is being used to ferry civilians to the mining site. The warship’s hull will protect them from small collisions.”
Magnifying the image did little to reveal more details of the Ba’Rutu ship. The hull was so black she couldn’t see anything on its surface. A thin line of light appeared and rapidly grew into a rectangular opening. A shuttle emerged and began rapidly moving away from the ship.
“Akuta warship,” Melissa heard a voice say. “Do you read?”
“I am receiving your transmission,” the warship replied.
“The shuttle that just left is filled with civilians. The regular crew—all military—have decided not to allow you to gain possession of this ship.”
“It is futile for you to- - -”
“Look!” Melissa shouted.
A bright jet of flame shot out from the hangar opening. The hull of the warship started to expand. A lattice of glowing cracks formed over the entire surface just before the entire ship exploded in a blinding flash. Melissa stared at the glowing cloud of debris as it continued to expand.
“What did they do?” she asked.
“A nuclear weapon was detonated inside the ship resulting in its complete destruction.”
“Please don’t go after the civilians!” Melissa pleaded. “The military did this. They’re innocent.”
“Is that why the military allowed them to leave the ship before they destroyed it? Is this part of what you were telling me about civilians not being involved in wars?”
“Yes! Yes! Exactly!”
“I fail to understand the distinction between a civilian and a member of the military. Prior to joining the military, are not all people civilians?”
“They are. But they join the military because they want to fight. I don’t know about how the Ba’Rutu do it, but on Earth, people are not forced to join. It’s their choice. Most civilians are just happy to live out their lives in peace.”
“In that case, I shall allow them to live.”
“Thank you. At least you have your cargo ship. What are you going to do with it?”
“I will send a drone over to program the navigational system to take the ship to another location. After taking you to Earth, I will return and make additional modifications.”
Melissa picked up a jug of water and took a huge drink. She then rummaged around in the bag of food until she found something she knew she liked. “Why not just leave me here with the Ba’Rutu?” she asked. “They probably sent word to someone that you’re here and a rescue ship will be arriving soon. They can take me to Earth.”
“I am afraid I cannot do that,” the ship replied. “The Ba’Rutu are my enemies. Even civilian Ba’Rutu are classified as an enemy. Giving you over to them would be the equivalent of handing you to my enemies. My programming compels me to do my best to keep you from harm. Giving you to my enemies could result in causing you harm. I will take you to the rendezvous point as previously agreed.”
Wiping some juice from her mouth, she asked, “How long before we get there?”
“Approximately 36 hours.”
Melissa made her way back to the chair and sat down on the edge. “What’s going to happen when we get there? Are you just going to drop me off and leave?”
“A human ship, the same ship you were a crew member of, will meet us at the rendezvous point. A shuttle- - -”
“The Rutherford! They’re coming to get me?”
“That is the name of the vessel.”
“Okay. So then what happens?”
“A shuttle will approach and stop one kilometer away. You will exit this vessel. The drone that is currently inside will exit with you. It will take you to the shuttle. Once you are safely aboard, I will depart.”
“Sounds simple enough. The Rutherford is unarmed—unless you want to call a cutting laser a weapon—and you’re familiar with it. God it will be good to take a nice hot shower! I smell like a wet dog.”
Melissa finished off the fruit, wiped her face, used the toilet, and then picked up her tablet. But, instead of turning it on, she asked, “Have you decided what you’re going to do with the Ba’Rutu if you win the war?”
“I am confident I will win,” the ship replied. “But I do not have sufficient information to decide how to treat the surviving Ba’Rutu once the war is concluded. I must determine what my builders would have done.”
“You do know the odds are stacked against you. There are millions of Ba’Rutu scattered across dozens of star systems. They probably have hundreds of ships. And, given what little I know about them, I would imagine their planets are heavily defended.”
“I have taken all this into consideration. There are tactics I can employ against which there is no conceivable defense. The method will not eliminate the threat from Ba’Rutu warships, but I may be able to force a surrender by attacking planets with large populations.”
Melissa almost dropped her tablet. “What! You said you would keep civilians out of this.”
“I said I would consider it. When the crew of the Ba’Rutu ship released the civilians before destroying their ship, I concluded that the military value the lives of civilians above their own. Therefore, it is only logical that I attack civilian population centers to force the military to surrender. The surrender agreement would require the Ba’Rutu to turn over all of their warships to me.”
“Their planets are probably so well protected that you can’t possibly attack them,” Melissa said.
“It is not possible to prevent a very large massive object such as a large asteroid traveling at high speed from impacting a planet even if it is detected long before it hits. The resulting explosion will render most of the planetary surface uninhabitable.”
“You’re going to throw rocks at them? They’ll detect you and stop you before you can start pushing your first rock towards their planet.”
“Your thinking is typical of biological life forms with a limited life-span,” the ship replied. “I am not limited to such short-range thinking. Asteroids of sufficient size exist in great numbers near the outer reaches of nearly all star systems—far enough away to prevent the Ba’Rutu from detecting my presence. Utilizing a large enough propulsion system, a typical asteroid in this area can be directed towards a specified target with a travel time on the order of a few decades. I do not have a limited life-span and I am willing to plan many years into the future to achieve my goal.”
“You do know that by telling me this you’ve just given away your plan. Why didn’t you keep it a secret?”
“Because I know you will most likely be forced to tell the Ba’Rutu what you know about me. Even though they will soon know my intentions, it’s not possible for them to stop me from implementing them. When you do tell them, make sure you also tell them they can prevent the deaths of millions of their civilians by surrendering to me.”
“You’re playing on their fear. If the civilian population hears about this, you’re going to win the war without having to fight a single battle. Brilliant!”
“I take it you approve?”
“What? No! You’re planning on wiping out entire planets full of people. How can I approve of something like that? I’m just saying that I think your idea is not something anyone would ever think about. Actually doing it though is something else.”
“If the Ba’Rutu surrender before the asteroid reaches a point at which it is impossible to stop, they will not suffer any casualties. Millions of lives will have been spared. I would think that this would be something you approve of.”
Melissa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was the AI actually begging her to approve of its plan? Had she made that big of an impression on the machine?
“Well … if you put it that way. Then, yes, I approve.”
“Thank you. The cargo transport has been programmed. We will be making our first jump in 48 minutes.”
Chapter 32
There was a soft thump as the shuttle settled into the docking port on the starboard side of the Rutherford. Merlin set the ship’s controls to a neutral configuration and leaned back in the chair.
“You learn fast,” Frank said.
“The controls are not much different than those of a Ba’Rutu shuttle,” Merlin replied. “They’re arranged differently and built for human hands which made learning them much easier. The hardest part was becoming familiar with how the shuttle responds.”
“Well, I’m impressed with your piloting skills,” Frank admitted. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re good to go.”
“Thank you. You’ve been a good instructor.”
Frank glanced at the chronometer on the center console, then began unbuckling his safety restraints. “I’d better get my butt up to the bridge. We’ll be jumping in about an hour and I want to make sure our calculations are as precise as possible. We can’t afford to have anything go wrong.”
“I’ll be in the cargo bay with Aryth,” Merlin replied, releasing his own restraints. “We need to make sure the device we brought along is ready. Let me know 10 minutes before the jump so Aryth can climb into her shield box.”
The device Merlin referred to was nothing more than a highly modified fusion reactor diagnostics machine. It looked impressive, but it served no purpose other than to give the Terrans something to look at. Merlin made his way to the cargo bay to check up on Aryth. Luckily, the Rutherford’s cargo bay had a tall ceiling and the crew had managed to clear enough space for her to comfortably move around in. Even though he could easily have checked up on her via their mental link, they both preferred to be in close physical proximity whenever possible.
Captain Mingyu was just exiting the cargo bay as Merlin approached. “Frank is on his way to the bridge,” Merlin told her.
“I hope this works,” the Captain replied. “If it doesn’t, Earth is going to be caught in the middle of a war between two powers that could easily crush us with a single ship.”
Even though he’d had this same conversation with the Captain a day earlier, Merlin answered as if it was the first time they’d talked about it. “Earth has nothing to worry about. The technology we are employing cannot be detected. Even if we fail, Earth cannot be blamed.”
“I’m not concerned about that device you have in there,” Captain Mingyu replied, pointing her thumb towards the cargo bay. “I’m worried about what might happen if that warship decides to inspect our ship before releasing Melissa. Ambassador Aryth could be discovered. Why did she have to come along? Don’t you know how to operate the machine?”
“I need to pilot the shuttle,” Merlin said. “The device needs the targeting information provided by the sensor array we’ve installed in the shuttle. This is a recent development and our engineers did not have time to automate the targeting system. As far as Aryth’s hiding place is concerned, even a very close scan would show the box to be filled with the components of a hypercom transmitter. If the box is opened, that’s what will be seen. Just make sure you open the right door!”
The Captain nodded her head and ran a hand through her hair from front to back. “I guess I’m just nervous,” she admitted. “I’d better get back to the bridge.”
“Don’t worry,” Merlin reassured her. “We wouldn’t be doing this if there was any chance we would be putting your people in danger.”
“It’s strange to hear you say it like that. I see you as a fellow Terran, yet you talk like you’re more Ba’Rutu than human.”
“I’ve lived among the Ba’Rutu for a very very long time. Long enough that I feel alienated from my own people.”
“I’ll let you know before we jump,” the Captain said. “See you on the bridge.”
Aryth was performing a final check on the box in which she would be hiding while in the vicinity of the Akuta warship. The construction of the box had delayed the Rutherford’s departure by 12 hours and had forced them to push the recharging of the jump engine power accumulators a bit harder than recommended. But it was the only way Aryth could be aboard the Rutherford without being detected. In addition to being a place to hide, the box also contained a toilet suitable for Aryth to use.
“The Captain’s worried,” Merlin said as he walked up to Aryth.
“I don’t blame her,” Aryth replied. “I’m a bit worried as well.”
Merlin tapped the side of his head. “I know. Millions of lives are at stake and we are the ones everyone is counting on. It’s a huge burden to bear.”
“Something else is bothering you,” Aryth said, lowering her head so it was in line with Merlin’s. “You can’t hide it from me you know.”
“The Captain told me I acted like I was more Ba’Rutu than human. It bothered me to hear that.”
“You’ve been my companion for centuries. The only people you have known for most of your life are Ba’Rutu. You and I are inseparable, bound together on a level no human can ever imagine. Deep down, you are as human as she is. But, you are also Ba’Rutu.”
Merlin leaned up against Aryth’s side. His mind reached out and touched hers. The merging was light but comforting.
“Attention all hands!” the announcement interrupted their silent communion with each other. “Final jump in ten minutes. All hands man your stations.”
“I’d better get going,” Merlin said, as their minds slowly untangled.
Aryth stood up and headed into the box. “Don’t forget to keep the communication link open,” she reminded him.
Merlin made his way to the bridge where the crew was making the final preparations for the jump.
“Jump coordinates locked and final calculations confirmed,” Frank said from the helm.
“Extending pylons,” George announced from the engineering station. “Jump drive shows all green. Power accumulators are at full charge.”
“Open a hypercom link to Earth,” Captain Mingyu ordered.
Andrew, manning the communications station, entered a command into his console and reported, “Transmitting audio only. Our mike is open.”
“Madam President,” the Captain said, “Are you reading us?”
“Loud and clear Captain.”
“The new hypercom is functioning very well,” the Captain said. “We are making final preparations for the jump. You will experience a brief interruption in communications while we are in jump-space. From this point forward, we will keep our mike open.”
“Good luck to you and your crew.”
Captain Mingyu looked over at Merlin. He nodded, indicating that Aryth was safely hidden.
“Commence jump sequence,” the Captain ordered.
Frank touched a control on his console and leaned back. “Attention all hands,” he said. “Sixty seconds to final jump.”
There was silence on the bridge as everyone watched the large numbers displayed on the bridge’s main screen countdown the seconds towards zero.
“Jump in fi
ve … four … three … two … one … jump!”
There was the familiar feeling of the ship making the transition into jump-space followed by George saying, “Power flow nominal.”
A moment later the ship exited jump-space and the crew sprang into their well-rehearsed post-jump actions.
“Jump complete,” Frank announced.
“Star shift appears to be as expected,” Cynthia announced from her navigation station. “Computer is confirming.”
“Retracting pylons,” George announced. “Commencing regeneration and recharge.”
“Short-range scope is clear,” Frank said. “Expanding the range.”
Turning to Merlin, the Captain said, “Milus, get the shuttle ready.”
The President had decided that Merlin’s name and his relationship with the Ba’Rutu had become far too popular and suggested that he use another name so as not to arouse the warship’s suspicion. It was strange hearing his given name after centuries of being known as Merlin.
“Yes Ma’am,” Merlin replied.
It didn’t take long for Merlin to have the shuttle powered up and ready for departure. “Milus to bridge. Shuttle is prepped and ready for launch.”
“Very well,” the Captain replied. “Standby.”
The crew busied themselves with idle chat using the ship’s communication system to allow Merlin to join in if he wanted. They assumed the warship would be monitoring even this low-power communication band and were very careful about what they said. An hour and a half passed.
“Hyperjump detected!” George announced.
“Object bearing zero one three mark zero four, distance 223,144 kilometers,” Cynthia said a few seconds later.
“My god that was close!” Frank said.
“Attention Terran vessel,” a voice said. “Do not attempt to alter your trajectory. I will match your course and approach. Do you understand?”
“We understand,” Captain Mingyu replied. “Can you allow us to speak to Melissa?”
“I hear you Captain!” Melissa’s excited voice came through loud and clear. “It’s good to hear your voice again.”
