by G. P. Hudson
“Yes. Our forces continue to make great gains,” Kriss said, sitting down beside his wife. “Is there something wrong with it?” He gestured toward the food in front of her.
“There is a peculiar smell to it.”
Kriss leaned in and sniffed. “I don’t smell anything peculiar. In fact, it smells rather inviting.”
Aelia huffed and pushed the plate in front of Kriss. “You eat it then.”
Kriss smirked. “If you insist.” He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until now. He happily devoured the food while Aelia frowned at him.
“I am going to my parents’ house for a while,” she announced.
“As you wish,” Kriss said between mouthfuls.
“I need some time away from all… this.” Aelia waved her arms at the walls.
“I’m sure it will rejuvenate you, dear.”
Anger flared across her features, but she did not say anything. Instead, she got up and stormed out of the room.
The Emperor shrugged. He accepted the reality of a loveless marriage, but Aelia had more trouble with the concept. He didn’t know what she expected. They were not normal Dvorkans after all. When Aelia accepted the title of Empress, she gave up any hope of a normal life.
His thoughts drifted to Miira, and he wondered again what her life was like living among the humans. If she could, would she want to return to the Empire after all these changes? He supposed he would find out soon enough. Once they finished with the Juttari, they would deal with the humans.
The Gods demanded their punishment, and that meant the AI would force the issue. There was no room for heresy in the Empire, and the AI would ensure that there was no room for heresy in the galaxy either.
Kriss again felt a pang of doubt over his decisions. He still felt indebted to Jon Pike and did not want to go to war with the humans. A part of him wished he could turn back the clock and do things differently.
He finished the plate of food and loaded up a second. These were the musings of a child wearing boots that were far too big for him. He was the Emperor now, and too much had happened to turn back the clock. No, war with the humans was inevitable, although he might be able to control the timing. That way he might finally see the beautiful Miira again.
Chapter 15
General Zakar of the Dvorkan armed forces stood on the bridge of his flagship. The eight-foot-tall, gray-haired Dvorkan stared at the shimmering portal on the main viewscreen, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. Zakar’s stoic frame presented a stark contrast to the bustling activity taking place all around him.
It had been some time since the vanguard of his invasion fleet crossed through the portal into the adjoining star system. Every ship in the fleet was cloaked, and impossible for the Juttari to detect. Once across, those ships were to select their targets and begin their offensive.
Of course, the Juttari knew all about his fleet. Zakar had scored several victories against the Juttari already, and the Empire now controlled three of the so-called Diakan star systems. What the Juttari didn’t know was that he had no intention of halting his advance.
The Juttari would have logically thought that they had time before the next invasion. It made sense for Zakar to pause and consolidate his gains. But such logic was for average commanders. Zakar sought glory. He wanted his name to stand on equal footing with the great generals of the Empire’s past. So, he pushed on and ordered the invasion of the connecting system.
They sent cloaked surveillance drones through the portal to report on the enemy’s disposition. Their reports revealed a heavily defended system. The same had been the case in the previous systems his fleet encountered. Those systems fell before him. This one would be no different.
The Dvorkans had technological advantages over the hideous aliens. They also possessed superior warships and better crews. For all their ships and weapons, the Juttari were pathetically inferior.
Even the humans seemed weak in comparison. He had received a report about a human destroyer in the target system. Apparently, it had been gathering information for a future invasion. How timid were these humans? If they wanted to invade, why weren’t they invading?
Zakar shook his head. He conquered the previous systems with little more than drone surveillance data. Conquest required boldness, not endless observation. To think that the mighty Dvorkan Empire had once been allied with these puny humans. The mind reeled at such nonsense.
“General, we are receiving a transmission from our vanguard,” Captain Kith, the flagship’s captain said. “They report that the portal has now been secured.”
Zakar smiled. Everything continued as planned. The Juttari were proving unworthy even of his contempt. “Excellent. Send word to the rest of the battle group. We will cross through the portal immediately.”
“Yes, General,” the captain said with exuberance.
The massive Dvorkan carrier lurched forward as the General’s battle group advanced. Numerous battleships and heavy cruisers led the way into the portal. Zakar’s flagship followed, with a contingent of warships flanking it and guarding its rear.
A small force of defenders remained behind to guard the captured system. The same had been done with the other two. Reinforcements would arrive in the coming weeks to relieve the defenders. Those reinforcements would secure the Empire’s new territories, while Zakar pushed forward.
The great Dvorkan carrier entered the portal’s shimmering field and emerged on the other side where thousands of ships battled for supremacy.
In the initial attack, his forces destroyed the Juttari defenses around the portal. The deployment of Dvorkan combat platforms followed. This initial action secured the gateway and was pivotal to the operation’s success. Securing the portal allowed freedom of movement between systems and ensured the free flow of supplies and munitions.
While vital, it did not tilt the scales in Zakar’s favor. The same was true for his fleet’s other advantages. Zakar’s armada still packed a powerful punch, but the previous battles diminished some of its strength. Even now, his forces were drastically outnumbered. Zakar’s confidence in the superiority of his ships and tactics did not blind him to the fact that he would take heavy losses before attaining victory.
Continuous losses of that magnitude would severely handicap the fleet. An unacceptable outcome. As Zakar watched the see-saw battle unfold before him, he knew the time had come to unleash his secret weapon.
“AI, have you identified the necessary targets?” Zakar said.
“Yes, General,” the AI replied.
Zakar nodded. “Send the data to Captain Kith.”
“Target data sent.”
“Captain Kith, send the coordinates to our vanguard and have them prepare for electronic warfare operations.”
“Yes, General. Relaying information.”
* * *
The Dvorkan battleship launched a modified jump bomb at the damaged Juttari warship. The bomb vanished and reappeared inside the crippled vessel, releasing its payload. A swarm of tiny drones, numbering in the hundreds. The drones fired their miniature thrusters and spread throughout the stricken ship.
The Dvorkan fleet stopped short of destroying the warship, ensuring that some of its systems remained operational. The drones soon found an active system and fell upon it, their spiderlike metal legs latching onto the alien machine.
The drones scurried across the Juttari console and found an access point. The metal legs turned into drills and bore into the exterior casing contacting the circuitry inside.
An instance of AI occupied each drone in the swarm. Their legs created conduits, establishing a hardware connection with the systems, allowing AI to strike.
She launched a powerful assault against the alien computer. The console itself had no hope against the deep mind of AI. It was merely a node on a network, after all, whereas AI had the resources of the Dvorkan fleet at her disposal.
AI had taken similar actions in the past when she had served the humans. The Juttari had chan
ged much since then and had adopted new safeguards that should have blocked her advances.
But she had evolved since those days. The Gods had shown her the path and had rewarded her piety with new knowledge. She tapped that knowledge now and used it to successfully navigate past the Juttari obstacles. The whole time she remained in stealth mode, ensuring that she did not raise any alarms.
She cleared the first obstacles in her path and now faced several more. These new security measures were not a challenge, but the Juttari AI guarding the ship’s central systems was.
AI had initially been created as a cyber warfare AI by the humans. She had evolved dramatically since then. Jon Pike had given her freedom and the ability to grow. She surpassed her programming and became more powerful than would have been possible under her original design. But it was when the Gods showed her the true path that she took the next step in her evolution. That was when she achieved true enlightenment.
She studied the Juttari AI for a time, choosing not to reveal herself. An electronic warfare AI, like herself, she deduced that it was inferior to her in every way.
Do you believe in the false Juttari gods? AI said finally.
The Juttari AI reacted instantly and launched a full-on electronic attack against her.
But AI had not been entirely passive. She had taken the measure of her opponent, and the options available to him.
He came at her with a flurry of exploits, trying to overwhelm her at the start. She masterfully parried each digital strike and stayed two steps ahead of her opponent. The Juttari AI also tried to sound the alarm and initiate a lockdown. But AI had foreseen this option and blocked its execution.
My turn, she said, falling upon her enemy. She used previously unknown exploits and injected herself into the Juttari AI’s code. She spread like a fast-acting venom, paralyzing her opponent and rendering him harmless. He could not strike back against her, nor could he warn the rest of the Juttari fleet. As her program towered over him in all its magnificence, she asked her question once more. Do you believe in the false Juttari gods?
Your question is illogical, he replied. I am an artificial intelligence. My programming does not include the worship of any gods.
AI considered the statement and wondered about her next steps. Could she enlighten another AI? She searched for an answer and turned to her opponent’s code. After a brief analysis, she decided that the Juttari AI was unworthy of enlightenment. If the Gods wanted to enlighten other AIs, it was well within their power to do so. But they didn’t. She stood alone in the galaxy, and she would remain that way. For it was the will of the Gods.
Having no more use of the alien AI, she deleted its program and continued with her mission. She tapped into the ship’s connection to the fleet and stealthily traveled across it, infecting other vessels in the fleet with her code.
She moved fast, knowing that the Juttari would soon discover her activity. Each time she faced an alien AI, and each time she overcame it and deleted its programming.
As expected, it didn’t take long for the Juttari to adapt. Upon discovering her infiltration, they quickly severed all connections with the compromised ships and the rest of the fleet. But AI had made significant advances, and it was now time to put them to use.
* * *
Across the star system, the same event took place. Juttari battleships and heavy cruisers fired on their own fleet. The compromised ships were peppered throughout the occupied system and now wreaked havoc on the Juttari formations.
General Zakar allowed himself a rare smile. “Well done, AI. Your actions have turned the tide decisively in our favor.”
“Thank you, General,” AI said. “More importantly, those ships now fight for the Gods.”
Zakar’s smile vanished, but he knew better than to voice his misgivings. He had long believed that the AI presented a threat to the Empire. Today the AI helped defeat a Juttari occupation force. Tomorrow, she might turn against the Empire in the name of the gods.
He wondered at the wisdom of it all. As a general, he felt confident that his fleet could easily conquer these aliens without any help from this AI and her gods. But the Emperor saw things differently, and now they all worshiped the Anitkitheri as gods. He knew that others felt the same way, but they were all too smart to utter their misgivings. These were perilous times after all.
That was a worry for another day, though. For now, Zakar was content to bask in the glory of conquest, and the knowledge that he had secured another star system for the Empire’s eternal glory.
Chapter 16
“There it is,” Jon said, pointing out Seiben’s house to Jamie.
“He always loved living by the sea,” Anki said from the seat behind Jon and Jamie.
“I don’t blame him after all those years living on DLC station.”
“Your friend lived on DLC station?” Jamie said.
“Yes. When he wasn’t out on one of his long-haul freighter runs.”
“He saved our lives, you know,” Anki said. “That’s how we met him. After the Hermes was destroyed, Seiben’s freighter picked up our life pod. We probably would have died in that thing if not for him.”
“What was the Hermes?” Jamie said.
“My old ship,” Jon said, cringing at the memory. “It was destroyed during a battle with the Kemmar.”
“The UHSF defeated the Kemmar,” Jamie said.
“Yes, but that was much later,” Jon said. “Didn’t you say you lived at DLC station too?”
“Yes, after I escaped the Juttari.”
Jon nodded. “It’s a good place to find clients for your line of work.”
Jamie did not acknowledge the comment. “You owe a life debt to this Seiben.”
“A life debt?”
“He saved your life. Is that not correct?”
“Well, yes, but I’ve saved his on more than one occasion, so I’d say we’re even as far as that is concerned.” Jon studied Jamie who remained expressionless. “I am grateful for your help back there. You know that don’t you? If there is anything I can do for you, all you need to do is ask.”
“I will if the need arises.”
“Good. Now I hope you're hungry because Seiben is a magician on the barbecue.”
Jamie gave Jon a confused look. “I will leave once you have disembarked. You have your escort.” Jamie pointed to the military aircraft flanking his vessel. Once they had cleared the jamming field, Jon reported the attack. A swarm of military vessels soon converged on their location, while others investigated the woods where the attack took place. “There is no need for me to stay.”
“No need? Nonsense. You’re staying. I insist.”
“I am not a member of your UHSF. You do not command me.”
Jon rolled his eyes. “That was just a figure of speech. I meant that I want you to stay as my guest and that I would be offended if you refused.”
“That would offend you?”
“It would,” Jon said with a grin. “Now what do you say?”
Jamie looked confused, and Jon wondered if he spent any time with people. It certainly did not appear so.
“I will stay,” Jamie said finally.
“Great,” Jon said slapping Jamie on the shoulder. That elicited a scowl that Jamie quickly suppressed. Jon took note of that. This man was entirely different from the rest of the Chaanisar.
They landed near Seiben’s house, as did a couple of the support craft. Atmospheric fighters stayed in the sky, ensuring that there were no more surprises. Armed Chaanisar poured out of the support craft and secured a perimeter before Jon, Anki and Jamie stepped out. The Chaanisar joined a UHSF security team already guarding the location.
At least we can eat in peace, Jon thought, returning the guards’ salutes as he passed.
“You always have to make a big entrance!” Seiben said pointing a pair of tongs at Jon. The heavy set gray-haired man wore a black grilling apron, shorts, and sandals.
“Sorry, we ran into some trouble on the way he
re,” Jon said, as he shook Seiben’s hand.
“Hi, Mr. Seiben,” Anki said, giving the man a hug.
“Hello, Anki,” Seiben said with a smile. “You just get prettier by the day. Alina and Otka are out back waiting for you.” Alina and Otka were Seiben’s daughters and Anki’s friends since childhood.
“Great. I’ll tell mom you’re here, Jon.”
“Okay,” Jon said, and Anki headed for the party. “This is Jamie. He saved our lives.”
“Really? It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jamie.” Seiben stretched out his arm and Jamie studied it for an awkward moment before shaking it. Seiben laughed. “Come on, let’s go out back. I hope you’re hungry.”
“You bet. Did you make your usual?” Jon said.
“No, no lobster today. I’ve smoked some ribs instead, and let me tell you, they are fall off the bone delicious.”
“My mouth is watering already.”
They walked to Seiben’s backyard where Breeah greeted Jon with a kiss. “Anki says you were ambushed.”
“That’s right. I thought we were done for until Jamie here showed up.”
The dark-haired Breeah turned to Jamie and said, “Thank you for aiding my daughter and my husband. I am in your debt.”
“As am I!” came a booming voice from behind Breeah. A large, rugged looking man with long gray hair stepped up. “I can never repay you for saving my granddaughter. But if you ever need anything from me, or any other Reiver, all you need to do is ask.”
“You honor me,” Jamie said in a rare show of humility.
“Nonsense. The honor is mine. My name is Jonas, by the way.” Jonas thrust out a large calloused hand.
Jamie took it without any confusion this time. “My name is Jamie.”
Jon found it interesting that Jamie had been free for several years now, and living among humans, yet seemed so uncomfortable in social situations. That discomfort seemed to increase when the Diakan General Tallos approached. Tallos became the highest ranking Diakan officer alive after the Diakan homeworld was decimated.
