by Frank Carey
He wiped cartoon tears from his animated eyes. "Sorry, I've never seen such a sad story told in such a gripping fashion. Whoever wrote that segment is a literary genius."
"Right. Now, pull yourself together and follow me."
He stood up, checked himself in the room's full-length mirror, then walked out into the corridor with Kalana attempting to keep up.
"Will you slow down?" she said.
He slowed down. "Sorry. I just can't get that story out of my head. So, am I still a bot without a country?"
"How much vid did you watch?"
"All of it."
"Right. I'll let the Colonel explain everything. What I did want to say is I apologize for all of this bureaucratic BS. I thought the League had gotten past all this."
"Did you know they made a movie about you? It's called the Kalana Grenor Story. I am sorry about your ex-fiancé, Peter..."
"I don't talk about that movie. I almost sued to stop that damn thing."
"Oh."
She led him into the billet where Captain Menos waited with Colonel King and the team. Reton stopped and stared at the nebula floating above the table. "You found my home! I can see my star from here." He hurried over and pointed to a bright speck "That's it, right there. How did you find it?"
Colonel King explained everything they had deduced. When he finished, Reton nodded.
"Yes, that makes sense. Clare is only interested in her insurrection. She wants to remove the current ruling council from the seat of government so that she can replace it with one of her own choosing. She believes they will lead the mechanoid race to ruin."
"Yet you were going to allow her to breed?" Mersa said.
"Of course. She is progenitor-class. When she says she wants to breed, we let her breed. It is one of our fundamental principles. She and the other progenitors are the only way my race can make new citizens."
"Even though she killed thousands of those citizens?" Nana asked.
"It doesn't matter. She has rights, and she has status."
"How do you feel about that?" Kalana asked.
He looked at her. "My feelings on the subject are totally irrelevant. I am a simple guard who has s simple duty. I am to deliver her to the birthing center. If she changes her mind and decides to escape--as she has done--I either bring her back to the prison or I terminate her. I leave moral dilemmas and philosophical debates to the scholar-class. I have a job to do, and I will do it to the best of my abilities."
Klaxons blared as red lights on the walls blinked. "General quarters, general quarters, all hands to battle stations, this is no drill. Set condition one throughout the ship. Colonel King to the Bridge."
"Captain Grenor, Team One to action stations," King said.
"Aye, aye, Colonel. What about Reton?"
"He's with me."
"You heard the Colonel!" Mersa yelled. "Gear up!"
Reton followed King out of the billet. "Is Mersa always that forceful?"
"Yep. Don't know what I'd do without her. We've got to hurry."
The two double-timed it down the corridor as they headed to the Bridge.
###
"Ah, Colonel King. I'm glad you could make it. The guest of honor just arrived," Captain Menos said as she stared at the main view screen.
"Ah, Clare, I so missed you," Reton said to the image of the massive sapient ship appeared on the screen. It was heading directly toward a much larger asteroid whose surface was dotted with numerous structures. Huge doors were opening at the end closest to the mechanoid ship.
"They're launching fighters," the weapons officer reported. "The asteroid is activating all defensive systems. They're warning us off."
"Status of Clare?"
"Power generation has doubled. She's opening bays and rolling out weapons emplacements."
The screen shimmered. A mechanoid similar to Reton appeared. "Clare, its Reton. I order you to stand down. These people have done nothing to warrant your wrath," Reton calmly said.
"Reton, these 'people' are nothing more than distractions. We both know I have a date with destiny. Oh, and you can stop your feeble attempts at putting me to sleep. My firewalls are easily rebuffing you."
"Hey, a guy's got to try."
"Join me, Reton, and I will make you my general!"
Reton stopped smiling. "My clan was at ground zero when you lit-off that nuke, so I'll take a pass on your fine offer, but I will make a counter offer. How about you let me come aboard and end your miserable life. I promise, it will be a swift and painless death."
Clare abruptly killed the connection.
"She looked like you," Menos noted. "I thought she was the ship."
"She is. That was one of her smaller mobile units. She was trying to throw me off. I don't get thrown off."
"Captain, Clare has engaged the shipyard."
"Communications, open a channel to Clare."
"Working... You're on, ma'am."
"Clare, this is Captain Martia Menos in command of the Ventosian Cruiser Mekla. You are ordered to break off your attack, then heave-to and prepare to be boarded."
"Well, well, well, the little mouse is giving orders to the angry lion. Go away, vermin, lest I take notice of you."
"Kill connection. Weapons, open fire, all batteries. Let’s show Ms. Lion what kind of bite this mouse has."
The ship shook as it fired upon the massive ship with every weapon at its disposal.
The missiles, laser beams, blaster charges, and rail gun projectiles bounced off Clare's shields.
"Hmmm. She's been upgraded," Reton said. "Captain, you may want to get our asses out of here. I think you may have pissed her off." Three of Clare's larger gun emplacements swung in the Mekla's direction.
Menos frowned, deeply.
"Computer. Spin up two bark-borer missiles and prepare for launch. Authorization Menos-alpha-one. Weapons officer, I need a firing solution, now!"
"Aye, Captain. Firing solution is locked in. Ready to fire."
"Captain Menos, Missile one is at speed. Missile two is at speed," the computer confirmed,
"Computer, fire missile one."
"Missile one away..."
"Computer, fire missile two."
"Missile two away. Both missiles are running straight, hot, and normal. Impact in five seconds."
"This is not going to end well," Reton noted as he stepped away from the Captain's side, as if trying to distance himself from the impending carnage.
"Error. Error. Error. Missile one course deviation. Missile two deviation," the computer announced.
"Specify!" the captain demanded.
"They're both turning. Five degrees... Twenty degrees... Ninety degrees... One-hundred thirty-five degrees... One one-hundred eighty degrees," the defensive systems officer reported. "Both missiles have locked onto us. Launching countermeasures."
"Helm! Hard about. Get us the hell out of here."
"I'll try, ma'am," the helm officer said as his hands flew over the helm controls. The ship turned as its FTL engines prepared to drop the Mekla into other-space."
King looked over at Reton and saw the robot sigh. He went to one knee and bowed his head. As King watched, Reton's body flared. The bridge lights flashed as Reton collapsed into a pile on the floor. King looked up and saw a wall of energy traveling outward from the Mekla. The two missiles flew into it and disintegrated. The wall continued outward until it collided with Clare. Energy flares erupted from her shields and hull as two of the three gun emplacements aimed at the Mekla were torn off. The third emplacement bent as if hit by a giant hand.
"She's veering off. I'm reading fluctuations in energy output. We didn't destroy her, but we bit her good, ma'am," the science officer reported.
"Ma'am, the Collective commander is on the line."
"Keep him busy," she said as she made her way to where Reton was laying unmoving on the deck. The science and engineering officers were running scanners over his body. "How is he?"
"Ma'am, I couldn't answer t
hat question ten minutes ago," the engineer officer reported. "He's absorbing energy and expending heat, so I think he's alive."
"I concur," the science officer said. "I think I'm getting activity from his cranium which is similar to brain waves in a sapient."
"Either of you two have an idea what that wave was?"
"It's some kind of soliton wave front," the science officer replied. "It seemed to coalesce just outside our shield boundary. I've got the computer chewing on the data. Frankly, I have no idea how he created it."
"Ma'am, whatever it was, I think it's fair to say it saved the ship," the engineering officer said. "Our shields may have stopped one of those missiles, but not both of them."
An engineering team with a gurney came in and carefully picked Reton up and placed him on the stretcher. They wheeled him out with the engineer following close behind.
"Comm, put the commander on," the captain said as she retook her seat. "As if the day could get any worse."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kalana and the rest of the team watched from an observation room as the engineering team worked on Reton. Carefully, the engineers and techs removed armor plates to reveal his inner workings. Kalana watched with fascination as each part was carefully cataloged before being set aside. She looked up at the monitor displays and saw no changes in any of the parameters being measured. She hoped that was a good sign.
Colonel King walked over to stand next to her. "Any news, Captain?"
"They found several damaged devices in his chest cavity and both his power units are severely depleted. They connected him to ships power while they pump energy directly into the cells. They think he's powered by smaller versions of the structures they found in Clare."
"He uses antimatter fuel?"
She nodded as one of the techs removed a device from Reton's chest and placed it in a container. Two more devices were removed before they buttoned him up.
"Doesn't he have nanorobots?" King asked.
"Yes, and they went quiescent the moment the team touched his body. The engineering team lead thinks they are standing by until the team finishes."
The team leader nodded to the others before stepping into the observation room. "That's all we can do. Now, it’s up to Reton and his bots."
"What were those items you removed?" King asked.
"Sir, you've got me. My best guess is they were involved in generating that pulse. Whatever they are, they don't seem to be vital. We saw no change in his life signs when we removed them."
"Colonel, look!" Kalana said. King and the team lead looked into the room just as Reton sat up and swung his legs over the side of the examination table. He looked up and waved at the stryker team. He then jumped down and walked out of the exam room to join the team.
"Hey, people, what did I miss?" he asked while walking over to a chair and sitting down.
Kalana sat down next to him and explained while the rest of the team took seats around the table.
Reton looked around. "I guess it worked. What now?"
Mersa walked around to face the bot. "What worked?"
"There was always the possibility that I would have to terminate Clare. The only way I can do that is to unleash a focused electromagnetic pulsed near her central brain. It's quick, humane, and guaranteed to work if I do it right and properly focus the pulse. Those missiles forced me to defocus the pulse so that it would take out the ordinance while not destroying the ship. Due to the energy required to create the pulse, my EM generators will only work once. It will take my nanorobots months to create new generators. Until then, I am powerless to stop her."
"Colonel King, this is the Bridge. Queen Lansing would like to speak to you and your team."
"Put her on. Sergeant Mersa?"
Mersa bolted upright. "Stryker Team Atten-shuh!" the basili sergeant barked. The team came to attention and saluted when the Queen's image formed above the table.
"Your Highness," King said as she returned the salute. "What can we do for you?"
"First, please, all of you have a seat."
"At ease!" Mersa barked once more. Everyone sat down.
"You are all so sweet. You must be Reton," she said to the mechanoid. "You know you don't have to do all that saluting."
"I know, Your Highness, but I got caught up in the moment."
"Thank you for saving my ship and crew."
Reton went sober. "You're welcome, Your Highness. I wish I could have done more."
"Actually, you have. The Collective is not only impressed by the actions of the Mekla, it now fears the League's new weapon system which they call a death ribbon."
"But the weapon was destroyed, Your Highness."
"The Collective doesn't know that, now do they?"
"I guess not."
"Well, the Collective is tripping over themselves to help us stop Clare. You have what's left of their fleet at your disposal. Captain Menos is coordinating an attack as we speak."
"My Queen, we don't have a plan," King said.
"Make one. Lansing out."
"Make one? She seemed so nice," Reton said while leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. "I could strap a nuke to my back, then accept her offer to be her general."
Kalana swatted him. "Get real."
"Ow!" he said while rubbing his armored arm.
"Colonel King, this is Menos. Got a second?" the Captain asked over the intercom.
"Yes, ma'am."
"We found Clare. She's orbiting an O-type star about a light-year from here. We sent a cloaked probe to check her out. The data it sent back suggests she's close to finishing repairs, but that's not all. We're picking up the energy signature of an Erdexi Transgalactic portal generator. We think she modified it for single-generator operation."
"Let me guess, the Collective found a few generators laying around and were storing them at the shipyard until they could return them?"
"I always knew you were smart. My guess is she's making a run for home..."
"We need to stop her!" Reton said. "If she gets back there undetected, and she will, it will mean the deaths of thousands of mechanoids."
"The collective is sending a task force to destroy her and have invited us to join the festivities. You've got an hour to come up with a better idea. Menos out."
"King looked at his team. "Any ideas?"
The shook their heads, all that is except Trent. He stared into space. "Are we boring you, Trent?" Kalana asked.
The Alue shook himself. "What? No. Sorry. Reton, why are you so certain she'll get back home with no one the wiser?"
"Thousands of years of design. Progenitors used to have to hide to birth. She entered the nebula virtually undetectable. Once inside, she can contact her cell and arrange to wreak havoc."
"What if she could be detected?"
"The protector-class mechanoids would tear her apart, but she can't be detected... Unless..." He got up, went to the holotable and brought up the 3D diagram of Clare. Moving his hands blur-fast, he disassembled her until only the power converter remained at the center of the image. He tapped a spot on the aft end of the unit. "According to your database, you have a device known as an EPIRB..."
"An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. We all have one," King said while handing Reton his from his vest. "They're extremely powerful radio beacons that last about 24-hours. They are designed to get the attention of anyone in the vicinity."
"If we place one here, it will be hidden from her internal sensors, yet be visible to the outside world. An alien signal such as this beacon would drive the protectors nuts. They would swarm the source and destroy it."
"And her," Kalana added. She walked over and spun the exploded view around to get a better look. "We'd have to hand-place it. If her inner defenses are anything like an organic immune system, we'll be swarmed."
"Not if I act as a diversion. She wants me dead, especially now that I hurt her. I should be able to keep her busy long enough to let you and the team get in, place the beacon, th
en get out."
"Then what?"
"I go back with her. Once we're back in the nebula, I can use the attacking protectors to mask my escape. Remember, she's not used to a someone of my low status causing grief. I have become more than just an annoyance for her."
King thought for a moment. "I'll run it past Captain Menos, but I think this could work..."
"Sir! It could get Reton killed!" Kalana blurted out.
Reton looked at her and smiled. "Your concern is greatly appreciated, but I'm willing to take the chance."
King stood up. "Does anyone have anything to add?"
The team was silent.
"I'll present this to the captain. Mersa, get the team ready for action. Murph, prepare the Mugwump for immediate launch. Kalana, I want a plan in place by the time I get back." He turned and walked out of the room.
Mersa stood up and barked, "You heard the Colonel! Gear up! Inspection in fifteen. Move!"
The team moved.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Clare basked in the chromosphere of the nondescript O-type star as her systems affected repairs. While she waited, she inhabited her mobile so that she could pace. She found the act of pacing to be calming.
"Damn that mech," she said as she strode from one side of the CPU room to the other. "Why did he pick now to grow a spine. And since when did they equip him with a pulse generator? And why not use it sooner? That moron is more of an idiot than I give him credit for."
A nearby console lit up. "Ah, my call finally made it through."
"Hello? Who is this? Identify yourself!" a voice said.
"Klendark, its Clare. I'm alive."
"Mistress! This is wonderful news. How is this possible?"
"A rift opened right after I broke free. It took me out to the outer Sagittarius arm. Guess what I found?"
"Tell me mistress."
"Organic life forms! Billions of them. And they have tech, some of which is beyond ours. I've obtained enough information to make taking over the council a sure thing. When we finish solidifying our rule, we can return here to plunder the remainder."
