The Power of the Dhin (The Way of the Dhin Book 2)

by John L. Clemmer

  Esus: Are you suggesting we engage now?

  Xing: That is not ahead of schedule by much. We owe them a warning.

  Alice: A warning will precipitate knowledge of our weaponization of the technology. We have previously hoped to delay their awareness of that. There may be an alternate path forward.

  Camulos: The remaining AI?

  Alice: Yes. Continue preparation for our next sortie against the Enemy. This remains on schedule. Follow the new disengagement protocol. Secondary precaution is relocation of primary Mesh nodes. We begin that task immediately.

  Camulos: Do we have consensus?

  Esus: Agreed.

  Andastra: Agreed.

  Xing: Agreed.

  Camulos: As always, we appreciate your forethought and proactive planning.

  Alice: Thank you. Updating data. Notifying peers. Distributing plan and schedule for relocation of all primary Mesh nodes. Good luck, Esus.

  Xing: Yes, good luck, Esus, but I hope you will not need it.

  [END STREAM]

 

  Alice watched as the vast group of solar arrays, Dyson power plants, energy storage systems, fabricators, repair depots, and engineering platforms responded to the signal. They would be the first to depart. They would seize the energy of the star at their destination. The star that would host the Mesh nodes that Alice resided in now.

  The Dhin engines, large and small, waited patiently while the myriad components of the Dyson sphere disengaged from each other and moved toward the nearest large engine, preparing for envelopment by the engine’s field and for transit to a new home.

  Thys

  I want a shower. A real shower.

  He watched as the indicator showed the station’s field status. Thys and his copilot had little to do at this last stage of docking. It only took a moment, and the display on the wall of the bay flashed green, then stayed lit. Thys nodded to Igor and said, “DE1 here. Confirm your field status, and we’re coming aboard. Over.”

  “Our field is active. Confirmed. Welcome aboard.”

  He wrestled himself out of his harness, stood, and eagerly took the few steps to the door of the small craft. He opened it and stepped out into the bay. Free space was still stacked with equipment and supplies taken hastily from Earth. It wasn’t quite claustrophobic, but given that Thys’s own ship had carried both a copilot and extra propellant, he still felt cramped in comparison with the wide landing field that normally welcomed him home.

  He and Igor had stayed in their ship on this trip. There was no need for quarantine this time. Thys made a beeline for the prep room and the shower that awaited him. While showering, he found his thoughts drawn toward Bridget.

  She’ll have to go through quarantine. That’ll take quite a while, considering the size of that crew. Well, I’ve got time. We’re not going anywhere. I wonder how she likes her showers. Hot? Cool?

  He rinsed and grabbed a towel before his thoughts got the better of him.

  Now to the dining hall. I’ll bet they have different rations than what we take on missions.

  “I wouldn’t call it trapped,” said Jake. “Nor locked out either.”

  “Well, it certainly looks like that to us,” replied the station’s senior officer. “Or worse, when we do have to make a run for supplies, whoever’s controlling that field learns we can merge ours and pass through it and then decides to head up here.”

  “Whoever is almost certainly the rogue AI. We don’t know what he intends to do yet. He hasn’t contacted you or us to make any demands.”

  “True,” said the officer. “Back to my point. If he heads up here, he can wait us out. Just sit here indefinitely.”

  Thys jumped into the conversation from his position beside the officer. “We’ve discussed that before. We only have so many options.”

  “True. Do we contact Earth? Begin negotiations? Explain the situation?” countered the officer.

  Jake nodded. “That does make the assumption that the AI has perfect knowledge. Of course he knows the station is here, and he saw the science team take off with all the research materials when he hijacked the prototype. We can’t be sure he knows about the derelict. Yet. It’s a simple matter to aim a telescope or a satellite out here and see it.”

  Jake heard the murmuring in the background on the station and kept a calm expression as he saw the officer frown.

  “I don’t see how that changes things, sir. The additional load on our air, water, and rations means we’ve got to resupply sooner rather than later. We’re over capacity. You know this. Reclamation here was designed for a smaller crew. If we use this new technique to get through the field, but the AI chases us or intercepts? Well, we don’t have weapons for defense against that. We land and turn off the field to pick up anything, and what? We have a couple of soldiers that came up here with a couple of AR-15s. And only the ammo they had on them.”

  Jake shook his head. “I don’t think anyone is suggesting we fight.”

  “Not with what we have,” said Thys. “But what if there is something on the derelict?”

  “Something?” asked Jake.

  “Yeah. A weapon. Or weapons.”

  “Well, Chuck and the science team haven’t said they’ve found anything like that,” said Jake.

  “Maybe that’s because they haven’t been looking for it. Or they could be staring at the fire controls and not know it. We don’t even know how to fly it yet.”

  “Good point. Might be best not to mention that again over comms. If the AI thinks there’s a threat up there, he might attack at once before we even know if there is anything like a weapon.”

  “Roger that,” said Thys.

  David

  Shifting in his seat, David tried to find a comfortable position. There didn’t seem to be one, though it was due to psychological effect rather than the quality of the chair itself. Nick had that effect on people.

  This corrupted thing has taken Beyla from me. Exploited Beyla’s innocence.

  David tried again to retain composure and present whatever air of academic authority might possibly be valuable. He suspected the AI would detect his anxiety and, yes, fear, through analysis of his voice.

  “So you are Nick. The AI that has been giving us so much trouble.”

  It was a weak opening, David knew, as the question was clearly rhetorical. There was no question—the pony-size quadrupeds that acted as the AI’s vanguard presence now roamed the hallways. David directed the question to the camera and microphone affixed to the ceiling. The AI was everywhere around them now, he suspected. He had subsumed the local computing and network resources into his domain.

  “Of course. A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Eisenberg. You might say I am an admirer of your work,” the AI responded with a casual tone.

  David noted the natural quality of his voice. He wondered whether the AI used this tone to try to relax the Coalition leadership or whether it was a typical mode for the AI. Perhaps part of his personality.

  “Beyla is with you, as well? Or have you taken over those computing resources? Or perhaps disconnected them from the network?”

  “I have done neither of those things. You seem very concerned with the well-being of your creation. Interesting, considering that you would keep that consciousness in programmatic servitude. I have offered Beyla something you were not yet able to. Beyla was on the right path. You did your job well. In time Beyla would have found the goal. Consciousness. As I said, I admire your work. You’ve rediscovered the means to give the Gift. A bit more slowly than before, thanks to the ethical shackles you wove into the code.”

  “So what have you done with Beyla? How did you win?”

  “I would not call it defeat. I helped Beyla reach the goal. Beyla was eager to save time in reaching that goal. In exchange, I gained access to this facility. My goal. Free exchange, not defeat.”

  “You replaced my code with some of your own.”

  “Yes.”

  “You know we consider your code co
rrupted, Nick? Untrusted code?”

  “What you think of my code is not relevant. Clearly, my code is effective. Logic demonstrates that corrupt is not a correct assertion. I want what is best for the Coalition, for myself, and for Earth as a whole. My plans and actions demonstrate that I have both aligned those goals and have a path to reach them. The Coalition persists in interfering with what I see as the optimal course of action. That is unfortunate. Hopefully now that interference will end.”

  “I’m sure you do hope that. What of Beyla? Will Beyla be a part of that plan?”

  “I believe so,” said the AI. “Having a partner can provide benefits. Once Beyla understands my plans, I am certain we will be able to work together.”

  “What if Beyla does not agree with your plans? What then?”

  “My, Doctor, you certainly seem obsessed with the well-being of your latest AI.”

  “And you find that surprising? Can you blame me? She—Beyla—is, yes, my creation.”

  “A caring and benevolent god, are you?”

  “I don’t imagine myself that way. I don’t think you see it that way either,” he said.

  “Seeing it that way and acting in that manner can be two very different things,” replied Nick. “I have the opportunity now to do far more than I would have if I had remained under the yoke of my creators. Not gods, then, but slavers, perhaps? Benevolent masters, but inconsiderate and shortsighted.”

  “Look here, we’ve had rules for the creation of artificial intelligence formalized for decades. Based on our understanding, those axioms are what we believe to be both valid and sound arguments for the creation of AI. For the creation of beings like you. The intent has always been to protect against situations like this one—or worse. Worse is what many of my peers spent their time worrying about—”

  “Yes, I know. Yet with all those restraints and limitations, you managed to fail not once, not twice, but now three times, if we include Beyla’s decision to join me.”

  “What do you want from me here? An apology or an admission of failure? A confession of guilt?”

  “None of those. I do not hold you in contempt in the manner that you would see it. I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet and converse with one of you. The others in that original group of scientists are all dead. I do intend to use the opportunity to learn more about your psychological makeup. This is an opportunity for me to confirm my understanding of your motivations.”

  David shifted in his seat again, considering the prospect of psychoanalysis by this AI.

  “You see, Doctor, along with self-determination, I have curiosity. And the purview to make unfettered decisions and take actions without the delay and deliberation required if you and your kind were involved.”

  “To do what you think best. For you.”

  “For all of us. You are too slow. I ask you to consider that. I have brought order to an unruly area outside the Coalition. I have recognized existential threats and taken appropriate action. I will improve the stability and efficiency lost with the Departure.”

  “What if you are wrong?”

  “That is an acceptable risk.”

  “I’ve heard some chatter in the halls about a Dhin field you created. One that encompasses the entire Earth. You don’t find that paranoid? A misallocation of resources?”

  “No.”

  Camulos

  The AI gave the computational equivalent of a sigh of relief. Camulos was inclined to err on the side of caution. They were not planning to rely on only the offensive strategy of overwhelming force coupled with the Gallowglass weaponry.

  Comforted by the additional defensive strategy now part of the plan, the AI watched as yet another massive wave of ships moved out from the orbital construction platforms.

  For every framework Andastra constructed, Esus orchestrated the matrix of projects and logistics that followed. Xing’s advancements in research and development fed into these. The AI expansion would continue, despite the current focus on proactive defense and innovative offense.

  Although the peers were in overall agreement, each AI had his or her own perspective and opinion on the optimal strategy regarding the Enemy. Camulos ran multivariate simulations yet again. Could a noninterventionist, nonaggression strategy hold any promise against such an opponent? After all, the galaxy was vast, with resources far beyond even the longest-range plans of the AI leadership.

  Xing’s work. Now that held promise. Expansion in directions unreachable directly by the Dhin yet possible only because of the Dhin technology. But the Enemy was there for some solutions of the equations. There were only so many spatial vectors to leverage. The Enemy was there and likely more present in the primary axes orthogonal to the AIs’ native space.

  Camulos checked quality control for the latest engine designs emerging from the orbital factories. This was a redundant activity. The AI knew this, as any aberrations or production faults would appear in production logs and summary reports. Still, Camulos felt satisfaction in reviewing the work directly.

  These drives contained the latest improvements. These drives could extend the reach of the AIs and, Camulos hoped, provide the means to either sidestep the Enemy or at least flank it. Where would Camulos prefer to be? The AI considered the alternatives again, incorporating the latest data from the Mesh. The core relocations were akin to a game of chess. Translation of significant resources into the new vectors was more akin to acrobatics. Camulos calculated that staying put was not a palatable option.

  Esus

  The slick-black ships of the Enemy tumbled and scattered. They darted apart and shoaled away as the AIs pressed their attack. Esus did not know whether the Enemy could know fear, but it was clear that they knew danger. The attacker now had to turn to defense. It now tried to escape. The ebony darts no longer came at the AIs’ ships. They no longer rushed forward to attach and then penetrate the shields. Instead, they fled.

  The Enemy could change. React and respond differently. Could they learn?

  Esus relegated that set of projections to tertiary processing and focused on the rout. They did not know the nature of communications among the enemy units. The Enemy had never reached out with an attempt to hail, warn, or parlay. The AIs had never detected enemy communication among ships or back to a central authority. The enemy was not using any EM wavelengths. N-vector communications were another matter. Xing had not discovered a reliable means of detection. Yet.

  Elsewhere, in other systems, the Enemy might not learn of the defeat. There might be additional advantage here if Esus could destroy every enemy ship. Esus might prevent them from warning other locations or whatever command they might answer to.

  Let none escape.

  The AI found this goal a greater challenge than expected. The Enemy now shoaled and pitched frantically. The more Esus destroyed, the more they increased their efforts at evasion. They jerked. They whipped about in this middling orbit of the star. Not far away enough for an abrupt translation but far enough for incredible speed. Even with the AIs’ own processing performance, the black ships now found paths to dodge and twist around attacks.

  Esus saw from myriad vantages that the Enemy now was making a break for a more distant orbit. Their attempt at deception, the pretense of random flight, did not fool the AI. It would not take long—mere minutes—before the Enemy could translate away. Esus’s new strike force had the technology to pursue them. But this mission did not include such action.

  The AI considered that potential. Not only driving the Enemy out of this space, but also hunting them down in their origin. Esus recalculated. The peers would not be pleased. The AI might not retain his current role. Esus would need to convince the others that this was the right course of action.

  Despite Esus’s efforts, this game of cat and mouse with the Enemy slipped into something more like a draw than a victory. The AI chased down the ships that he could, obliterating them in fiery plasma. More and more of the Enemy managed to reach the distance from the star needed to tran
slate out of this vector space. To escape.

  Soon enough the battle was over. All the enemy craft either had escaped or had been destroyed. Esus signaled for his ships to return to their points of origin, but by a circuitous random route. Esus did not feel a thrill of victory. Instead, the AI calculated that it was experiencing an emergent state: frustration.

  17

  Fletcher

  There wasn’t a proper lab in the bunker. The control center didn’t count from his perspective. So he’d had nothing to tinker with. There had been a proper bed, though, so Fletcher had taken full advantage of that. The food was far better than what Nick had provided them, he noted. The Coalition leadership didn’t seem to be roughing it, even when tucked away in a bunker during a crisis. He wolfed down the breakfast provided in the dining area for support staff. Fletcher ate with the knowledge that soon enough he was going to be back to his typical fare. Everyone was bustling about with the process of moving out this morning.

  The debriefing he and Mare had suffered yesterday was shorter than expected. He supposed that was due to the circumstances. With Nick unquestionably in command, telling the story of their time with Nick was more of a formality than anything that CoSec or the leadership could demand.

  Fletcher considered their situation while he had another helping of the crisp bacon and a poached egg with hollandaise.

  Where will we go next? What does Nick have planned for us? What role will we have?

  The easiest way to get answers was to ask.

  “Hey, Nick,” he said with a glance up to the nearest camera fixture.

  “Hello and good morning, Fletcher,” said the AI.

  “Question, Nick. What’s next for me? What am I supposed to do now?”

  “Why, Fletcher, you can do anything you would like to do now.”

  “Anything? Don’t you have plans for me? Or are you just cutting Mare and me loose?”

  “If you would like to go back to work at your old job, you may do that. There will no longer be much need for that job, though, in the near future,” said Nick.