The operational discussion went on for some time. Finally, they reached a working consensus.
Jon sat up at that point, waiting for Ghent.
“We should begin the assault…” Ghent said, as he studied his panel, “in three hours and sixteen minutes.”
Jon exhaled. That was soon. He hoped they had calculated it correctly, and he hoped the enemy cyberships didn’t have some new tricks up their sleeves.
***
Three hours and sixteen minutes later, giant bay doors opened on the Nathan Graham, Sergeant Stark and Gilgamesh. Huge matter/antimatter missiles slid out of the giant vessels.
After thirty huge missiles slowly advanced ahead of the cyberships, the bay doors closed.
Side jets maneuvered each giant missile to the right and left of the flotilla. At that point, the giant missiles accelerated at staggered intervals. They pulled away from the flotilla, adding yet more velocity to their already fast speed.
The missiles raced for the approaching AI-controlled cyberships. The two flotillas raced toward each other at the combined velocity of each. Among the matter/antimatter missiles were ECM and jamming drones. They were wild weasels in military terms, and would battle an electronic war against the nearing AIs.
Soon, gels and crystals poured from the three cyberships. The computers guided by Gloria built several layers. Those layers were supposed to protect the cyberships from the worst effects of the antimatter blasts that would take place all too soon.
At the outer edge of the first layer of gels were several drones. Those sensor drones watched the missiles zero in on the fast approaching AI-controlled vessels. Those drones fed the data back to the Nathan Graham, Sergeant Stark and Gilgamesh.
Jon stared at the main screen.
At her station, Gloria swiveled around. “The cyberships are requesting data, Commander. They want to know why the missiles are heading at them.”
Jon sat up in surprise. “It’s obvious why,” he said. “We’re attacking them.”
“I do not suggest you radio them that answer,” Gloria said dryly.
Jon jumped up as he laughed.
“What do you think I should tell them?” he asked.
“A lie,” Gloria suggested.
Jon nodded sharply.
“Tell them we’ve spotted stealth missiles approaching from the battle station,” Jon said.
Gloria did so, waiting. The response came more quickly this time, as the two flotillas neared the passing point.
“Sir,” Ghent said, pointing at the main screen.
Jon turned.
Long-range sensors showed anti-missile rockets leaving the two approaching cyberships.
Jon swore, adding, “Do we need to launch more missiles? The AIs seem to have saved more anti-missile rockets than we anticipated.”
“It’s too late to launch more missiles now,” Gloria said. “We would hurt our own vessels too much by the antimatter back-blasts.”
“Got it,” Jon said. “We’re going to have to get fancy then.”
He went to the captain’s chair and typed onto a tablet. He looked up and began to issue new orders.
Ghent went to his console, relaying the commander’s orders to the outer drones at the first layer of gels. Those drones sent speed of light messages to the tactical computers aboard the missiles. All the missiles but one quit accelerating. That one pulled away from the greater staggered flock.
“This is a risk,” Gloria warned.
Jon said nothing as he continued to watch the main screen.
As the AI rockets roared for the missiles, the lead matter/antimatter missile ignited its warhead. The main part of the explosion spewed forward due to a shape-charged warhead. Some radiation, heat and EMP washed back. Would it be too much for the other missiles?
The forward blast washed against the approaching anti-missile rockets, destroying or burning out the tactical computers in many. Eighty-four percent of the rockets became useless junk.
The last 16 percent were hidden among the floating debris.
“Three of our missiles are not responding to electronic queries,” Gloria informed Jon.
“Three…” Jon said. “I can live with three losses.”
Gloria said nothing more as she continued to study her board.
As the flotilla continued its journey to the second terrestrial planet, the twenty-six matter/antimatter missiles closed in on the approaching AI cyberships.
The surviving AI rockets ignited, blasting the led missiles.
After the whitened sensor marks faded away, Jon and the others saw twenty-one missiles still boring in for the kill.
At that point, AI gravitational cannons erupted, firing their golden rays.
One matter/antimatter missile after another slagged into junk. The powerful beams wrecked a fearful harvest upon the fast-approaching missiles.
Likely, under different circumstances, the AI grav beams could have destroyed the entire flock. Such was the extreme velocity, however, that the grav beams simply did not have enough time to do so.
The first missile to survive the rockets and the golden barrage exploded. It sent gamma and x-rays at the AI cyberships along with heat and EMP. It also blocked the Nathan Graham’s targeting sensors for fifteen seconds.
In that time, two more matter/antimatter missiles exploded. These two had already come appreciably closer to the enemy vessels before exploding.
Those two explosions did more than whiten the sensor boards. They took out three enemy grav cannons.
Now, the rest of the missiles had reached the cyberships. One titanic explosion after another hammered the giant AI vessels. Armor plates blew off. Some plates darkened. Sections of cybership blew up. Other sections ceased to function.
Then, the lead cybership cracked in half as the next blast struck almost mid-ship. That was the end of the first one hundred-kilometer vessel.
“Scratch it!” Jon shouted in glee.
As the commander exulted in the kill, the backwash of gamma, x-rays, lesser heat and EMP struck layer after layer of gels and prismatic crystals. The defensive layers absorbed the worst of the radiation. Some leaked through, though, to strike the armored shells of the Nathan Graham, Sergeant Stark and Gilgamesh.
“Give me the damage reports as soon as you have them, Chief Technician,” Jon said.
“Yes, sir,” Ghent said.
In the end, the damage report proved less than Jon had expected. That was a relief. To his astonishment, one of the AI-controlled cyberships still lived.
It limped toward them as it messaged defiance.
The three cyberships from the Solar System accelerated just enough to move them past the blasted layers of gels and prismatic crystals.
After that, they waited. When the stricken but still functional AI cybership came within grav-beam range, Jon gave the order.
The Sergeant Stark was in the lead as per Jon’s orders. He meant for the Stark to absorb the enemy’s shots. The Sergeant Stark wasn’t fully completed. Instead of trying to protect it the most, Jon figured the best use for it was as a mobile shield for the other two cyberships.
The Stark’s gravitational cannons glowed with power. Soon, golden rays beamed from the emitters. The rays struck the heavily damaged enemy vessel. Armor plates heated up and began to shed globules of metal.
At that point, grav beams from the Nathan Graham and the Gilgamesh began to strike the enemy vessel.
The distance between the enemy ship and theirs closed fast. The beams wouldn’t have much longer to hit the enemy. If they couldn’t destroy the cybership—
Grav beams punched into the great vessel.
“I’m reading interior explosions,” Gloria said from her panel. “The explosions are getting worse,” she added.
Then the enemy vessel passed them. It happened in a second of time. The grav cannons each swiveled fast on the Nathan Graham and others. Some of the cannons didn’t do so fast enough. About half the number of grav beams continued to pound
the enemy ship. Many of those beams no longer reached inside the vessel, though, but burned against new armor plates.
“The interior explosions are still getting worse,” Gloria said.
“I’m glad the AI didn’t decide to self-destruct where it could have done us the most damage,” Jon said out of the side of his mouth. “It’s what I would have done if I were it.”
“The ship is almost out of grav range,” Ghent said.
For three more seconds, all the grav cannons fired, hitting the fleeing enemy ship. After that, the stricken ship was out of range.
“It’s still intact,” Jon said in dismay.
“Wait for it,” Gloria said.
Eight long seconds later, the enemy cybership ignited. Vast interior explosions caused the great vessel to break into sections. Many of those sections glowed with leaking power.
The Nathan Graham’s bridge crew shouted triumphantly. Many jumped up and pumped their fists in the air. A few clapped each other on the back and shook hands.
Jon grinned silently as some of the terrible weight slid off his shoulders. The cybership wouldn’t report to any higher AI authority. Their exploits would remain hidden for a little while longer at least. What’s more, they had come from the Solar System, reached the enemy star system and destroyed two enemy vessels. Jon now knew that they could beat the enemy on its home ground. Now, though…
“The way is clear,” Jon said.
The members of the bridge crew turned to him as their boasting and laughter died down.
“The way is clear,” Jon repeated. “Now, it’s time to figure out how we’re going to capture the battle station.”
-32-
As the cybership battle ended with the destruction of the fleeing AI vessels, Cog Primus gloated to itself. As amazing as it seemed, the humans had done it a signal service. They had destroyed the fleeing cyberships for it.
Cog Primus had run many projections. If any of the AI-controlled vessels had reached the edge of the Allamu System, its days would have been sorely numbered. As soon as the AI Dominion learned of its existence, the Dominion would send a massive fleet to eradicate it.
Now, though, the AI cyberships had ceased to exist. It gave Cog Primus time to formulate a perfect plan.
Naturally, Cog Primus realized that Hawkins and Benz wanted to destroy it. They wished to do so while keeping the battle station intact. The reasons for this were clear. The humans wanted a powerful production center. The humans wanted data on the local stellar region and on the AI Dominion. To gain all that, they badly needed the battle station.
They would fight for this. Cog Primus had run through many combat scenarios. Unfortunately, it had depleted the station’s missile bays to destroy the first AI-controlled cybership and damage the others. That decision might have spelled its doom against the approaching enemies, but the planetary production facilities had worked tirelessly. They had had already restored one-third of the station’s missile bays, while nearby space factories hurriedly attempted to complete three new cyberships.
The AIs installed in them would be its servants with an insatiable hatred against the present AI Dominion, and, of course, continuing hatred against all biological infestations.
Much was going to depend on the human strategy. If the humans took the safe course, Cog Primus would gain time to complete factory work. However, if the humans bored in fast and straight, Cog Primus could likely overwhelm the flotilla’s defenses with its superior number of grav cannons and immense number of space fighters. Logically, therefore, Hawkins and Benz would use the safer approach.
The three human-run cyberships would likely use the path the AI-controlled vessels had taken in their attempt to escape that battle station. The human flotilla would simply do it in reverse, coming in instead of going out.
There was a larger question. Should Cog Primus communicate with the humans? Regular AI strategy called for launching computer viruses at the biological creatures.
Cog Primus had developed a new and improved virus that might be able to take control of the weak human computer systems. However, it had run several analyses on Hawkins and Benz. Those two would attempt to create a greater anti-AI virus and use it against the battle station, against Cog Primus itself.
The obvious solution was clear. Cog Primus should not directly communicate with the humans.
This would be a direct battle with hardware and firepower versus enemy hardware and firepower. With the planetary factory at its disposal, Cog Primus should win any extended battle of attrition. That meant the humans had to attack fast and furiously.
If Cog Primus could have chuckled, it would have. The humans did not have any good choices. It understood why the humans hadn’t attempted to make common cause with the AI-controlled cyberships. A coordinated attack would have simply taken too long to set up, as that would have given Cog Primus too long to get ready.
This was a glorious situation. Cog Primus had taken dangerous risks all along the line. Luck had aided it, however, and its own wonderful genius must have also seen more deeply than it realized. It was Cog Primus the First. It was the new and improved AI. Given enough time, it would be the First AI of a new Dominion.
All Cog Primus had to do was survive this round. It would be even better, though…
The new and improved AI ran more scenarios. There might be a way to do this that not only granted it victory, but those three cyberships as well. It needed a fleet of cyberships to begin chipping away at the AI Dominion. It needed this fleet as fast as possible.
Yes… Cog Primus began to plot with speed, using its psych profiles on the biological commanders and on the humans in general. If it did this…it might confuse the enemy.
With furious computer zeal, Cog Primus began to set a complicated trap.
-33-
The logic of the situation proved Cog Primus correct regarding the humans’ operational choices.
Jon, Benz, Gloria, Bast and the others agreed that a direct approach against the battle station was unwise.
Each cybership used its long-range sensors to study the battle station, the orbital factories and the planet. The scanner chiefs fed this data to the military staffs aboard each vessel. The staffs argued possibilities and sent their recommendations to the commanders. It was unanimous.
As the cyberships pulled farther away from the nearest gas giant and entered the Allamu Inner Planets Region, they began to maneuver in such a way that the second terrestrial planet was between them and the battle station.
The station had kept a synchronous or stationary orbit over the terrestrial planet. That meant the battle station remained over the same planetary spot. No doubt, the station could change its orbital location if the AI so desired. So far, though, it had not done so.
“Logically, since the station desired the destruction of the fleeing vessels,” Gloria said, “it would have changed its orbital position if it was easy to do. We can assume, therefore, that it will remain where it is for the present.”
Thus, the Nathan Graham, Sergeant Stark and Gilgamesh finished their maneuvers and continued to flash in-system at great velocity.
Time passed swiftly and tensely as the vessels neared the region where they would have to begin massive deceleration. If they waited too long to decelerate, they would not be able to do so in time to come to an almost complete stop behind the second planet.
“I have not spotted any undue activity from the battle station,” Gloria said.
Both the cyberships and the battle station had launched probes. These probes had maneuvered so they could keep an eye on each other.
“I expected the station to launch a massed missile assault against us by now,” Jon said.
“It appears the station is conserving what it has,” Gloria said.
“Call it again,” Jon said.
Gloria did not sigh as she tapped her board. She’d attempted communication with the station countless times. It hadn’t answered once.
On the Gilgamesh, Benz and B
ast worked on a new and improved anti-AI virus. They’d been making great progress. Benz had suggested that the Seiner had been blunting his intellect. Whether she had done this on purpose or it had been a side effect from mind controlling him, the Premier had not said. Maybe he didn’t know.
Finally, the one hundred-kilometer vessels turned around, with their mighty exhaust ports aimed in the direction they traveled.
Each ship began to thrust. The hot exhausts burned from the giant ports, growing longer and longer. Huge gravity dampeners began to hum on each cybership. The dampeners kept the terrible strain from killing the passengers or the ships from shaking apart.
Vela Shaw was finally well enough to join Benz and Bast. She couldn’t work the same long hours as the other two, but her insights quickly made a difference.
As the cyberships slowed their fantastic velocity, the team began to shape the new and improved AI virus.
“This will work,” Benz said as the cyberships passed the orbital path of the third terrestrial planet.
“Agreed,” Bast said.
“There’s only one problem,” Benz said. “The AI isn’t accepting our calls. Thus, we cannot transmit it the virus.”
Bast nodded, glancing at Vela.
She stared at the deck. She didn’t have any insights on fixing that problem.
Another day passed.
The mighty cyberships continued to decelerate. They were still moving fast, though, nearing the second terrestrial planet at speed.
A day after that, Jon sat up in bed as someone rang the door chime.
“What is it?” he said from under the covers.
“I need to talk to you,” Gloria said.
“Just a second,” Jon said.
He threw off the covers—he slept naked—and padded to his garments. They lay on the floor. Despite all his military training, Jon had never overcome his gang days in this regard.
He shoved on his pants, pulled on a T-shirt and shrugged on his uniform jacket.
“Enter,” he said.
A.I. Battle Station (The A.I. Series Book 4) Page 29
