The councilwoman crossed her arms. "And where might that be? Odenta? It seems you took good care of them."
Clamor returned to the room.
Getta again banged her fist. "Silence! Shove your egos back into their bags. This is about our survival! If you want to beat the Grotus, you need to start listening to this male. He has done more for our people than all of us in this room combined!"
Two of the Grunta councilwomen stood and snarled. Getta returned an equally fierce growl.
I said, "We can move you to Dallex. It's the Talisan world. They will be welcoming, and assist with any temporary settlement. Look… we all want to return to Jorus. We all want the Grotus out of the picture forever. We can't do that while they are as powerful as they are."
A councilwoman said, "So you would take them on yourself?"
I shook my head. "At the moment I think it's all about survival. The Grotus have the upper hand. If we are able to identify exactly what that upper hand is, we will take steps to eliminate it, or at least reduce it. At the moment, it's a vast fleet that I am certain is only getting larger. It's also an alliance that we may be able to break. It's too early to tell, and too early to make any decisions about action other than moving you from here. I'll say this... you don't want to be here either. Let us move you to Dallex. We can monitor the situation here. If no one shows in the next month, we will bring you back, if so desired."
The councilwoman asked, "And what of you? What action will you take to move us toward our goals?"
I replied, "The only action we can take at the moment is to gather information. We find out where they are vulnerable, we find out where they are weak, and we take steps to weaken them further. We must, however, first know where to strike before taking any such action."
The Council was quiet for several seconds before Getta stepped forward. "I make a motion that we put it to a vote, that we allow ourselves to be moved to Dallex."
A second councilwoman stood. "I second that motion."
A third stood. "This male should be removed before any votes are cast or tallied!"
Getta growled. "He will stay and we will vote!"
One by one the vote went around the table. Each councilwoman placed their hand on the table for a yes or on the shoulder of the member to their right for a no.
As the vote moved around the table, Getta stepped forward to her position. As a finish to the vote, she placed her hand on the table. It was unanimous.
I said to Garrett, "Prepare to sweep all ships to Dallex."
Garrett replied, "Already have the coordinates locked in, just say when."
I looked at the Council. "Make it happen."
I left in the Jess. The Grunta transports were swept away to Dallex in three sets. As the last portal closed, a new portal opened. Hundreds of automated Grotus ships began to pour through.
I said, "Scan through that portal! Where are they being swept through from?"
Garrett replied, "That is definitely Mayanis. Want to jump there?"
I nodded. "Make it happen."
Joni, still on Alpha Prime, piped in: "All I'm getting here is paranoia over what is coming. We need to stop the Grotus before they attack here. My uncle thinks the other ruling families will immediately join whatever the New Alliance is that the Grotus offer. They could end everything with the taking of this one planet. Although my uncle keeps talking about some Omega code that he doesn't want to use, but will if forced to."
Garrett replied, "Omega code? Any idea of what that is?"
Joni shook her head, "No. Other than mentioning it to my father twice, I've never heard it before."
The rumble of the portal generator had us parked in the Grumar's system.
Garrett said, "Whoa. What is that, a dozen of those ship factories around Mayanis?"
I replied, "And three more around Modus. And the ships are even bigger. Do as scan, I want to know if they are all still unmanned."
Three minutes later, we began to look through the data.
Garrett said, "I don't see any people on any of those ships parked there, or on those factory platforms. And there are no other ships moving around in this system. The populations of both Modus and Mayanis are about the same as they were the last time we were here. I have to wonder if the Grotus are actually in charge of all this."
I replied, "Take the Jess out. Take her right down to the surface and let's see what actions the people are up to."
Garrett nodded. "That I can do. Give me a few minutes and I'll have a video feed from one of their cities."
Joni said, "Every indication I have here is that the Grotus are running that operation. My uncle usually has good intel. I can't imagine he missed on this after getting betrayed by the others."
Garrett laughed, "Yeah, betrayed... I don't think I would call it that after the many times he switched up alliances, but whatever."
Joni replied, "You know what I meant. I'll admit he has been a snake, but his intel is usually spot on."
Garrett said, "Sweeping down to the surface. OK, I'm here. I see what looks to be normal activity. Transportation is running, people are walking the streets. I see a group of police officers... scratch that, soldiers. They look to be casual in their demeanor. And, hold on... I see a field with activity. Looks like youth practicing drills. If the AI are in charge, it sure doesn't look like it. These people look active and happy."
Joni replied, "They have control of a single portal ship. Harden's people detected a comm link to the AIs on that ship just before it was taken. There was a security vulnerability that they were unaware of and the ship was grabbed through use of that vulnerability. Hang on... I’m patching through a conversation he's having with my father."
Harden Salton said, "We have a fix, but we don't have the means to roll it out. When the Grotus took control of that ship, they inadvertently took control of every AI we had. Our own factories are now producing ships for them. Every day they become more powerful by a thousand ships. Unless we find that portal jumper, we will be swallowed up by their mini-alliance in a matter of months."
Joseph Salton replied, "I thought we had a fail-safe built into each of those ships. Why haven't we been able to trigger it?"
Harden shrugged. "We don't know. It's possible we had spies that sabotaged it. We haven't been able to keep assassins out of here, why should we think those construction docks were any more secure? We have traitors in our organization, Joseph. I don't want to think Joni is among them, but I suppose it is possible."
Joseph shook his head. She would never betray us in a way that would leave us so vulnerable. And certainly not for a species as treacherous and bloodthirsty as the Grotus."
Harden sighed. "She is a smart girl, but she may have attempted to make a deal that was beyond her ability to make. Gottlieb has been—"
Joni said, "Uh, this is torture. My own family thinks I turned that portal ship over to the Grotus."
I replied, "We know that's not true."
An aide came in the room. "Sir, Mr. Salton, I have important news."
Harden nodded. "Well?"
The aide read from a holo-display. "The gate at Adicus has been destroyed. That message from Admiral Kalicun. Nothing further."
Harden clinched his fists. "Joseph. We have lost. We may need to prepare an escape plan."
Joseph Salton replied, "Where would we go?"
Harden turned and looked out a window. "We find the smallest, most out of the way colony, and we hide. All that we have built is destroyed. Without a portal ship we cannot change the die that has now been cast. We have failed to reunite the AMP under a single government. We have failed in our attempt to expand. Life as we know it is over, Joseph. The price of waging war on others is about to be paid."
Harden walked to a console on a far wall, typing in a code that enabled a holo-display.
Joseph asked, "What are you doing now?"
Harden sighed. "I am sending Orwall back to where it began. When we first acquired the AIs, I thought, 'This is
it! This will give us the edge!' However, I soon discovered the AIs seemed to have an agenda of their own. What a fantastic resource they were. Construction of whatever we wanted, produced at an incredible pace, huge battleships drifting out of the docks one after the other. And the portal ships! Everything was going our way. How quickly things can turn."
Joseph stepped up beside his brother. "What are you doing to Orwall?"
Harden shook his head. "Every construction bay, every ion amplifier factory, every factory that supports those two industries, and everything they have produced... it is all wired to a single program, a program that will bring it all to an end. Since we took control of their government, I had fail-safes put in place should it all fall into the hands of our enemies. That day has come, Joseph. One of our most prized assets is now being used against us."
Harden rubbed his forehead. "Had I maintained control of the portal ships, it would all be different."
Joseph asked, "So we destroy everything we've produced. What about the AIs and ships at Mayanis? And the ones the Kergans and the Tamarins have?"
Harden shook his head. "I took precautions, Joseph. The others didn't. That galaxy will be overrun by those AIs. With those portal gates, they will come here and no one will be able to stop them."
Joseph said, "What if they didn't have the gate ships? There are only two of them remaining, right?"
Harden nodded. "They are limited to those two ships, but they will figure out where the key component for those ships came from. They will figure out how to take it from our thousands of gates, just as we did. Without a portal ship, we have no way to stop them."
Harden reached out his hand and swiped until a display with a large red button appeared. "Goodbye, Orwall."
He pressed the button.
Chapter 22
* * *
News came in of the massive blasts surrounding Orwall. The generators on every automated ship within comm range overloaded. Every factory used in the ship construction, as well as in the construction of the ion amplifiers, saw the same. Production was brought to halt on a planetary scale.
We had brought the Ares back to its high orbit around Alpha Prime, sending the Jess back down for Joni's return. As the news continued to stream in, Joni said, "They are just packing up now. I think there is nothing else to be had here without talking to my uncle directly."
I said, "I don't think we can risk that."
Joni replied, "Let me talk to him over the comm. Maybe he will have some nugget of advice he can throw to us. I would like to know what the fail-safes were on those portal ships that he said failed. Maybe it would be something we could use."
Garrett added, "I can set up a link through one of the orbiting stations. They won't be able to trace where it's coming from."
I looked at Go and he returned a nod. "OK, Garrett, set that up. And, Joni, try to keep it brief."
Garrett opened a comm and patched Joni through.
Harden Salton answered. "Joni? Where are you?"
Joni replied, "I'm safe. Don't worry about me. What I want to know is what we are going to do about the situation. Is there any way to track those portal ships? And how many of them are there?"
Harden found a chair. "There are three portal ships. One was stolen at Bolitha and two at the Moddle worlds. Two others have been destroyed. The original station has been destroyed as well. It is not good news for any of us, Jo Jo. We have no way of stopping an invasion. I'm afraid my failure at securing those portal ships will be the undoing of us all. The Grotus are now in control."
Joni asked, "Do you know of any way to track them? If we can find them, we can take them out."
Harden half laughed. "How is that even possible? You would have to have... it was… it was you? You stole the ship at Bolitha? Please tell me you have it!"
"We do. And we need you to tell us how we can find and destroy the others."
Harden clasped his hands together. "There could not be better news! You must bring the portal ship and come get me. Are you close?"
Joni shook her head. "Sorry, Uncle, I'm not here talking to you for your rescue. I'm here to find out how we can destroy those other two ships. If you can offer advice on how to do that, I am all ears. If you’re already scheming about how you can retake control... forget it, you have nothing to offer."
Harden stood and began to pace. "We only have one method available to us, Joni. Those ships need cesium. Jumps are very expensive. Find the source of their supply and you will find those ships. Although, they have probably stolen enough ore from me to overrun us anyway. I was foolish with that supply as well."
Joni replied, "We have the rest of the ore. They will have to find a new supply."
Harden smiled. "I would begin my search at the Galorian mines. As of yesterday, they are fuming over my refusal to renew our contract. I have no portal ships, our current supply of cesium is adequate—they will put the word out that they have excess and the Grotus will come running, if they already haven't done so."
Joni asked, "What can you tell me about the AIs?"
Harden returned to his chair. "I do not trust the AIs. I believe they have a hidden agenda. I was a fool to think I could take and use the Grotus technology for our benefit. They obviously have programming built in that allows them to take control of those AIs at any time. That first AI was little more than a Trojan horse. The ease with which we allowed them to take over should have been a warning to us all."
Joni told her uncle to look out the window. As his attention was diverted, she placed a QE stealth tag on the wall just above the console her uncle had previously used.
Harden said, "What am I supposed to be seeing?"
Joni replied, "Never mind. Here is what's going to happen. We're going to see if we can find and destroy those portal ships. They need cesium. We find their source and we find them. If you need me for anything, go over to your console and call. I will reply as soon as possible."
Harden held up a finger. "Call? How am I supposed to call?"
"Just ask for me. And don't bother searching out how I'm communicating with you. If I find that you are doing so, I will cut you off. You've sent millions to their deaths with your scheming. Our entire existence is now at stake because of it. And don't bother contacting me unless you have relevant information that will help us to find and destroy those ships. This isn't about you anymore. It's about saving the six galaxies and all their inhabitants."
Joni closed the channel. "I think we need to make a jump to the Galorian mines."
Garrett asked, "And when we get there?"
I answered, "When we get there, we camp out and wait to see if anyone is buying, or stealing, the cesium ore. If we see it being taken through a portal, we can scan through the portal for a location on the other side. We then make a jump and have our portal ships. If a large number of freighters depart for elsewhere, we follow them. We have to find those ships."
Joni made her way back to the Jess, and Garrett jumped the small ship back to our location. After landing in the bay of the Ares, we jumped again, this time to the Galorian cesium mines on the planet Molkie. One full freighter, and three empty freighters, sat in orbit. Another was parked on the surface, being filled.
Quan said, "Pardon my interruption, but the mines we are looking at would have only provided half the ore we have in our possession. The Galorians must have other mining operations."
I turned to Garrett: "Can you look up this sector? I would expect Harden to have a full mapping of where any ore was."
Garrett swiped at several screens and replied, "Got it. There is another mine at Pletora. A bigger mine in fact. Should we scan that system?"
I shook my head. "No. Why don't you take the Jess and jump there. We need a constant presence if we want to catch a portal opening."
Garrett nodded. "Joni? Want to join me?"
Joni replied, "Always."
Raptor stood.
Joni looked back at the Rottweiler. "Why don't you stay here with Knog? I'm sur
e he could use the company."
Raptor turned and walked to me, resting his head on my lap.
After a jump, the Jess took up a position with a view of the ships in orbit around Pletora.
Garrett said, "We have five freighters in orbit here. Two full, three empty, and another down on the surface being filled. Just like Molkie, lots of mining activity going on down there. If they just lost a big contract, you wouldn't think they would be pushing things so hard."
I said, "Let’s use this opportunity to do scans of the known worlds in the Yallux galaxy. We might just get lucky and catch that fleet."
Garrett replied, "Or, if they are building ships, we might want to see where they are sending them. I'm sure those factories around Mayanis are being kept busy."
Quan said, "I have restored my standard systems. I will next attempt to recover what I can from my archives. If those memories can be recovered, I will then have the autobots construct a new ship for your use, similar in size to the Jess."
Joni replied, "We could still use a lifepod or two with a built-in portal. If one of these ships gets heavily damaged, it would be nice to have a way out."
Quan said, "I will make that a priority. Please let me know if there is any other way I can be of service."
Go walked onto the bridge. "I have the designs for a new arm. Quan had it, still in local memory. Had my surgeries been done a month ago, that would have been packed off to the archive memory. He has promised to build a dedicated AI and an autobot that can build the arm for me. I have copies of the leg design as well."
I replied, "That's good news. Any idea of when you'll have a new arm?"
Go frowned, "No. There are too many higher priorities in front of me right now. I can still function with one arm. Two is obviously better."
Garrett said, "Another empty freighter just arrived. Tracing back along its path I would say it was returning from Adicus. I would guess we'll be seeing a few more of those before the last of them, the ones already in transit, return. You know, if we wanted to throw a spanner into their works here, we could sweep those two loaded ore freighters out to Maxell where we have the others."
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