by JD Clarke
“How’s the male android project coming along?” I asked Mako.
“I still do not have a solution for that. Being able to trust them is a problem.”
“I thought we were just going to put an explosive inside them, one we could trigger mentally,” the Sarge commented as he poured himself the last of the beer.
“I am afraid that strategy is not going to work. It worked well with Sybil, but she was the only android we had with us, and she was easy to monitor. It would be almost impossible for us to monitor thousands of androids, and they are very intelligent. I am afraid that by working together, they would soon find a way to remove the explosives or render them inert.”
“Then we’ll just have to get them off the ship. Go ahead with production, but don’t activate them. We’ll load them onto cargo vessels and send them to other Unity planets. They can be activated en route. Send equal numbers of male and female androids along with their personal holographic processor units. Alert me when you send them so I can change our course. We don’t want the Unity to know our location and surprise us before we can surprise them.” At least I hoped our coming attack would be a surprise.
“How long do you intend to hold the planet?” Sarge asked; he was always the practical one.
“Long enough to replace whatever warships we lose in the attack and long enough to fabricate ten million androids.” The quiet in response to my statement was absolute. “The planet’s fabrication facilities are far greater than the Defiant’s. Sybil’s estimates put the time at around one month, assuming the facility can power the time shield and at least 50 percent manufacturing capability. That includes the time required to program, fabricate, and ship the androids. It does not include the time required to fabricate additional warships.”
“How are you going to ship ten million androids?” Dena asked.
“Using the constant stream of supply ships that visit the planet.” I looked around and was met only with blank faces.
“And if the Unity form a blockade around the planet?” Sarge asked.
“I’m betting that the Unity will want the androids and that Unity members manning the warships are going to want an android body just as badly as the androids here on board the Defiant have wanted them. If so, they’ll confiscate some for themselves, but they won’t interfere with production. If they do, then we’ll just have to run the blockade with the new warships we produce.”
“Jason, I know you think the Unity will welcome the adoption of android bodies and all the advantages they contain, but do you really think they’ll fall for it? What if they see the danger these bodies represent?”
“Dena, all throughout human history, there has been a certain element of risk to having sex, but that never stopped humans from having sex and actively pursuing it. I think it will be the same with the artificial intelligence of the Unity. The sex drive Mako has programmed into the androids will be just as strong to artificially intelligent systems as it is to humans.”
“Well, the androids on board Defiant are certainly addicted to sex. It’s all they do in their section of the ship,” Sarge added.
“You believe the introduction of a real body, an android body, and the introduction of sexual programming into the Unity society will disrupt it enough to stop their progression across the galaxy?” Mako was staring into his glass of beer, thoughtful. “They won’t be able to adapt to this new experience?”
“Not for some time, especially if we throw male androids with a desire for dominance into the mix. The Unity will be divided. They have emotions now. But dominance, jealousy, and possession are all new to them. There will a certain faction that remains true to its long-term goal of gathering information and knowledge about the universe, and there will be those that become addicted to the new sensations and drives that we’ll introduce. The time that it takes for them to adapt is time that Earth will need badly if Earth is to catch up and build defenses capable of fighting off the Unity.”
“Then can we go home, Jason?” Dena asked.
“Yes, then we can return to Earth.”
Hundreds of Me
After the meeting, I went to the bridge and checked our course and sensor readings for the area. Then I went to the hangar bay to check over the warships. It was really just an exercise in being alone with my thoughts, thinking through our options and trying to anticipate the Unity’s response to our plans. After the reassurance that everything was in order, I returned to our quarters. Dena was already there, sitting at the computer console, making notes, and drinking something hot.
“Kind of nice to work on a display instead of just in your head, isn’t it?” I said to her as I came over to give her a kiss. “What are you drinking? Smells kind of like oranges.”
“It’s a hot tea. I made it from a tree that grows on the First Ring. Want some?”
“No, thanks, maybe later.”
“You’re not so sure of yourself, are you? I mean you present your plan with a very confident air, and it inspires confidence in the others, but I know you. You have something bothering you.”
“Yes, and it’s a big worry. I’m not as smart as the Unity, Dena. They are far ahead of us, and there will be things that go wrong—the unknown, things we aren’t prepared for. It’s how well we deal with those unknowns when they arise that could spell victory or defeat. Hell, I’m the commander of this ship, and I can’t even keep from falling out of my bunk, racked with nightmares.”
“The nightmares are getting worse again, aren’t they?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. I was just visited with memories of the Ancient One that wore this neural net before me. Now it seems I am plagued with his inner fears as well. I’m sharing his nightmares.”
“Sasha came to me the other day. I think she is picking up on your nightmares.”
“She’s always been able to intercept our thoughts if we’re close enough. I didn’t know she could receive my nightmares as well.”
“She offered to help relieve you of them. She said she could change your brain’s configuration to stop the neural net from manipulating it in that way.”
“Do you believe her, Dena?”
“She did manipulate her own genetics and her brain’s connections with her neural net. Her mental abilities match the Ancient Ones better than any of ours. Her access to their knowledge base is better than mine or yours. I don’t know. I don’t know if we can trust her.”
“Her intelligence level is higher than ours too, even if her maturity is way behind. Another thought that has been gnawing at me, perhaps I should try to increase my intelligence also, utilizing the Ancient Ones’ machinery in the bio lab. It could make it easier for me to predict the Unity’s movements. It might give us the edge we need to win this battle. You’re the expert in genetics among us. What do you think? Can Sasha help? Could you monitor what she does? Make sure it’s safe?”
“That’s a lot of responsibility, Jason.”
“I’m willing to take the chance, with your help.”
“Give me some time to check into it further. I’ll ask Sasha to go over all the details, show me exactly what she intends to do. Then I’ll be able to give you an answer.”
That night, I slept better—no nightmares, no sweats.
Two weeks went by, and Mako was falling behind schedule on the fabrication of the time shield and on the male androids as well. Legion had his hands full trying to keep the Warriors from getting into trouble and starting new feuds between the clans. They were a restless bunch. Then I got some good news. Dena came into our quarters one evening with a big smile, obviously quite pleased with herself.
“It works, Jason. You’re going to be amazed.”
“What works?”
“The mental enhancement. Sasha and I have been going over it, and today we tested it, on me. I couldn’t let you undergo the procedure without knowing for sure, but now I do. You won’t believe how easy it is to access the Ancient Ones’ computer system and database now. Everything is clearer. Thoughts
race through my head, and it’s getting better. Even since I underwent the procedure this morning, I can still feel my abilities increasing. I have greater control over everything with the neural net. Look, I can even levitate the table just by controlling the ship’s gravity generators. I never had this level of control before.”
The table rose smoothly, hovered, and then gently descended to its original position on the floor.
“I don’t even need the computer display to help me interface with complex information like I did before. I can see it in my mind, and it doesn’t overwhelm me like it did before. I looked into the database on the health and medicinal files of the Ancient Ones and went through volumes of information—volumes. Jason, it’s wonderful! I can’t wait for you to experience it as well.”
I was shocked and more than a little worried, but she seemed to be herself. I could detect no emotional changes through our connection to each other’s net. I started to get angry with her for trying it on herself, but I realized I would have done the same.
“Jason, are you happy for me?”
“Yes, I just wished you had told me. I would have been there.”
“No, you would have done your best to prevent it.”
“You’re right. I would have.”
I stayed close to Dena for the next couple of days. Her intelligence seemed to top out on the second day. Her abilities were impressive, and I began to get excited about the procedure myself. I could detect no side effects other than a lessened need for sleep. Dena only slept two to four hours at a time. We decided to perform the same manipulation on me. I awoke to an especially bad nightmare and was ready to be rid of them.
On the fourth day after Dena had her brain enhanced, I underwent the same procedure, except there was an additional modification to prevent any further nightmares from the neural net. All went well, and I could tell an immediate difference. It just got better over the next two days. But best of all, I slept all night. No nightmares, no alien dreams—just restful sleep.
Accessing the mother ship’s computer had never been easier. I wondered why I ever had difficulties. The bridge was transformed. We had been using only a fraction of the three-dimensional screen capabilities of the displays. I sat in the command chair and was surrounded with stars, planets, nebulas, and entire galaxies. The entire bridge was filled with the star maps.
“My god, it looks like a firefly convention.” The Sarge came in. He was in obvious awe of the display.
“Hey, Sarge, I’m experimenting with the 3-D display capabilities of the bridge. I have twelve different maps of different nearby regions of space. Each is at a different scale. As I find planetary systems of interest, I can scale them up until I have a clear view of the individual planets.”
“What about this glob of color here? It looks like an entire nebula, looks kinda familiar.”
“That’s the Crab Nebula. You’ve probably seen pictures of it from the Hubble telescope.”
“Well, I just came to tell you I’ve finished refitting the warships with the new mine dispersal units. All our warships are ready for action. How’d you sleep last night?”
“Like a baby. I feel great. I thought of some new improvements I want to make to our heavy-combat armor also, Sarge. The changes are all in the design files in the database. Look them over and get the fabrication units started on it right away.”
“Sure thing. You want me to do a prototype to test out first?”
“No, the changes aren’t that drastic. They should work fine. Just start the production run and get them to the Warriors as soon as possible. Be sure to produce two sets of armor for all the human crew.”
Sasha came onto the bridge then; the Sarge never had much tolerance for Sasha, so he took this opportunity to bug out.
“Well then, I better get right on this. Hey, Sasha,” he said as he left the bridge.
Sasha just gave him a nod and stepped to the side to let him pass. “Jason, how are you feeling? Any ill effects?”
“No, I never felt better. What brings you to the bridge?”
“I was wondering, now that I was able to help you with your nightmare problem, I thought maybe you would be willing to help me with mine.”
“You mean finding the Ancient Ones?”
“Yes, it has been a very laborious task searching the ship’s records for possible planets that the Ancient Ones might have started colonies on. And the probes are very slow at covering enough area. If you could help me, we could get through the information twice as fast.”
“I don’t believe the information you’re looking for is in the mother ship’s database, Sasha. The Ancient Ones were a little paranoid, and they had a definite distrust of computers. I can’t say that I blame them. After all, the intelligent computer they built turned against them and almost sent them into extinction. I don’t believe they would leave any record of their colonies on the main computer.”
“You’re saying I’m wasting my time searching the database? That I’ll just have to wait on the probes to search this whole region of space? Jason, that will take forever! I’ll never find them with the limited number of probes you’ve given me. I helped you get rid of your nightmares. You have to give me more probes.”
“I didn’t say they left no records of their colonies. I said they left no records on the mother ship’s main computer. There is the archive. It’s a separate system isolated from the rest of the ship.”
“And only accessible to you because you wear the neural net of the archivist that was responsible for it. But I thought the archive only held the history of the Ancient Ones before they left their home planets?
“Maybe, but if I were one of them and I wanted to conceal top-secret information that needed to be preserved for the future, I would put it in the archive and entrust its care to a single trusted crew member. Care to go with me to the archive, Sasha?”
I set up access to the archive computers for Sasha and left her there. She was giddy as a kid, talking nonstop about all the things she expected to learn about the Ancient Ones and the technology they had left behind. I left her there to explore the database and went to Dr. Tanakai’s lab to check on his progress with the male androids.
“How’s it coming along, Mako? Have you started production yet?”
“Hi, Jason. No we’re still working on the software. Sybil pointed out a potential problem. The Unity members might be tempted to change the programming of the male androids to make them more compliant and fit into the Unity society better. That would defeat our whole purpose of inserting them into the Unity to disrupt their society.”
“Let me see your programming.” I stepped over to Mako’s display, looked it over, and made some mental queries of my own. “It obviously has to be tied into their self-preservation routine. If they don’t want to lose who they are, they won’t allow changes to their personality files.” I stepped back, looking over the rest of the lab.
“I guess those changes Dena and Sasha made really are helping. You were never much of a programmer before, Jason.” Mako was looking at me with a big grin. “Actually, Sybil had just made that suggestion before you came in.”
“Are those the male android prototype bodies?” I pointed at three robotic constructions that were incomplete.
“Yes, we haven’t finished testing them yet. We want them to function, but not be—”
“You’re behind, Mako. You’re behind, and we have a schedule to keep. I want to begin the assault in fourteen sleep cycles. I’m tired of excuses. I want results.”
“There’s only one of me and one of Sybil. Jason, we’re working hard down here—”
“Then get some help. We’ve got twelve hundred androids in the forward section doing nothing but partying. Get some of them to help you. Have Sybil pick out four androids we can trust and put them to work. Monitor their actions if you have to, but get these things working.”
“OK, Jason, we will.” Mako looked at me with a puzzled look that only irritated me more.
“All right, I’m counting on you, Mako.” I left the lab and went up to the mess hall. I was hungry, and I needed a little space. I needed to rethink my strategy also. There could be things I had missed. Things I had not thought of before.
I sat there thinking through the whole campaign and sipping on a cup of coffee. I had hardly touched the plate of fresh fruit when Sybil came in.
“Hello, Jason,” she said as she sat down across from me.
“Hello, Sybil. Come to check on your commander?”
“Yes, and to reassure you Mako is doing his utmost to complete the task at hand.” She paused, looking me over. “I have several androids in mind for assisting in the lab. Some have already made inquiries as to duties they could perform on board. It seems that they desire more than partying.”
“Good. I am trusting you to keep an eye on them, Sybil. I still don’t trust them.” We sat there in silence for a moment. I got the impression she was still evaluating me. “What do you think of my plan to disrupt the Unity?”
