“That wasn’t part of the agreement.”
“I know,” Jon said. “I wish we could work this out a different way. But I’ve begun to distrust your motives. I also think that, in the long run, this is the wiser method. We should divide this up into spheres of influence. You’re the political animal. I’m not. I’m a soldier. Therefore, you take another cybership and return to the Solar System. Unite the Solar System behind you.”
“What are you going to be doing during the interim?”
“I’m going to try to build a fleet, Premier. I’m going to search for alien star systems and bring the aliens into our fold. If nothing else, I’m going to leave each alien race a cybership and robo-tech so they can start building a fleet.”
Benz stared at Jon.
“You’re really going to let me go back alone to the Solar System?” the Premier asked.
“With two cyberships,” Jon said. “I know you want three or more, but I’m keeping the rest for my fleet.”
“You don’t have enough people to run…however many cyberships you think you can build.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Jon said. “The Nathan Graham and Sergeant Stark have plenty of extra people. I brought a whole slew of extra hands for just this possibility. Besides, these cyberships are almost completely automated. A small crew can act like an AI without much trouble.”
“You think I can unite the Solar System with just two cyberships?”
“Of course,” Jon said. “You’re a genius. If anyone can do it…it’s you.”
“You don’t seem to understand,” Benz said. “Yours is a temporary solution. You’re going to run out of people in a few years.”
Jon snorted. “I doubt I’m going to live more than a few years. I don’t think you understand. I’m giving you time, Premier. My fleet is going to be expendable. I’m going to hit the enemy and find you allies. You have to build on what I do.”
“Jon—” Benz said.
“I’m a soldier,” Jon said softly. “I know how to fight and little else. Well, I’ve found our enemy. It’s probably going to take more than our lifetimes to beat the AIs. But now that we have a slight edge, I’m going to push it to the max. I’m going to keep the AIs off balance just long enough.”
“You hope,” Benz said.
“Yeah…That I do.”
Premier Benz stared at Jon for a time. Finally, the leaner, taller man rose. He approached Jon, holding out his hand.
“Good luck, Commander,” Benz said.
Jon shook hands and nodded.
“You, too,” Jon said.
Benz let go, looked at Jon a little longer, turned around and marched out of the observatory.
Jon sighed. That had gone better than he’d expected. Now…now he had to take care of Bast Banbeck.
-43-
The days passed in hard work and repair.
Premier Benz soon departed the station with his two cyberships, the Gilgamesh and the newly named Hercules. Before he left, Benz had asked for volunteers, those who would like to stay with Commander Hawkins.
Three hundred and seventeen Martians elected to join the Human Expeditionary Force. Jon divided them into parcels and sent the Martians to each new cybership captain.
At the moment, the “fleet” had four cyberships, with three new ones beginning in the orbital construction yards. The techs led by Miles Ghent and Gloria were looking for ways to speed the construction process. So far, they hadn’t had any luck.
The truth was that everyone had too much to do. But the thrill of fielding an actual fleet that could strike other AI systems and seek out and find alien allies filled most of the people with an intense sense of purpose and mission.
“It’s a beginning,” Jon told Gloria.
The two of them walked down a battle station corridor. They headed to the main medical facility.
“This is more than a beginning,” Gloria said. “We had that back in the Solar System. You’ve managed to turn our first victory into something much more. People have hope, Jon. Before, we all thought in terms of final desperation. Now, we’re beginning to think that total victory is possible. It won’t happen this year or next, or in ten years, but it could happen in our lifetime.”
Jon smiled even though his gut clenched.
Gloria put a hand on an arm.
Jon stopped and faced her. He gripped her hand, and they stared at each other. Finally, Jon moved in, took her small chin in his hand, gently lifted it and kissed her on the lips.
“I’ve been calculating when you would do that,” Gloria said.
Jon laughed as he parted.
“It’s not wondering, huh?” he said. “But you’ve been calculating the possibility?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile.
Jon grinned, and he nodded, and he closed in for another, better kiss.
“Bast is going to be waking up soon,” she said softly.
Once more, Jon’s gut clenched. He turned to the medical center hatch.
“Go,” Gloria said.
He nodded, leaving her, heading for the showdown.”
***
Bast Banbeck sat up in his bed, reading a large tablet. The Sacerdote lowered the tablet onto his bed covers as Jon entered.
“Hello, Commander,” Bast said in his old friendly voice.
Jon winced upon seeing the swath of bandages on the Sacerdote’s skull. The doctors had shaved the scalp there. That had made it easier to remove part of the skull.
“I feel different,” Bast said. He reached up and gingerly touched the swath of bandages. “The doctor said you’d explain what happened to me. I don’t remember banging my head. I don’t recall a brain injury, either.”
“Can you practice your telepathy?” Jon asked quietly.
Bast blinked several times, and cocked his head. “I cannot,” the big lug said.
“Benz and Vela studied you for a time,” Jon explained, “after we beat Cog Primus.”
Bast waited.
“By using your telepathy, you changed, Bast. You became…rougher.”
“I tried to warn you about that.”
“You did,” Jon said. “In any case, after you became good at the telepathy, you started treating us like underlings, like subhumans. I felt bad for talking you into saving all of us. I wasn’t sure what to do. Finally, I figured you wanted the old Bast Banbeck back.”
“And…?” Bast asked in quiet voice.
“The surgeons removed a tiny portion of your brain.”
“What?” Bast whispered.
Jon stomach tightened and his mouth turned dry. He forced himself to continue explaining.
“Benz had located the brain area he was certain allowed you to be a telepath. I figured if you couldn’t use telepathy that maybe the old Bast Banbeck would return.”
“You ordered a lobotomy?” Bast whispered in horror.
“No! I ordered a removal of the telepathic part of your brain, a very small area. You’re back to normal—”
“Normal?” Bast whispered. “You stunted me.”
Jon looked away. As he did, he wiped his eyes. He felt awful for what he’d ordered. It was a poor way to repay a friend, for the alien that had saved everything.
Jon turned back.
“I’m sorry, Bast. I didn’t see any other way. It was either that or keep you in stasis forever.”
“I became a menace to you,” Bast said. “I knew you would do whatever you had to do to protect humanity. I was becoming your enemy.”
“I hate to say it, but that’s the truth. You were becoming dangerous to us.”
Bast looked away.
“I want to make it up to you,” Jon said. “I want to find your people—”
“Commander,” Bast said, without looking at Jon. “I must think about this. I must ponder what you did.”
“I get it,” Jon said.
When Bast said nothing more, Jon turned around. Like a whipped dog, with his head down, he headed for the hatch.
&
nbsp; “Commander,” Bast said.
Jon faced him. The Sacerdote stared back.
“I…I am grateful,” the big lug said. “Part of me is enraged. The other part realizes I was becoming the monster I feared. You have saved me from going insane. The cost was a tiny portion of my brain. I can never practice telepathy again. For that, I am grateful. Yes, it is a loss. But I would rather have my sanity. You made the right choice, Commander.”
“You will you forgive me, Bast?”
“I do.”
“Thanks…” Jon whispered.
“Thank you, Commander.”
“For what?”
“For offering to find my people,” Bast said. “I accept your offer. I have paid a bitter price. Now, like you, I want to save who I can from the AIs.”
Jon stood straight, and he gave a crisp salute.
“Why did you do that?” Bast asked.
“Because I’m honoring you, Bast Banbeck,” Jon said. “I’m saluting your courage and your great and generous heart.”
Bast grinned. “I have one other request.”
“Name it,” Jon said.
“I would like a beer, if I could.”
Jon grinned, and then he laughed. As he turned toward the hatch, he said, “One beer, coming up, Bast.”
THE END
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A.I. Battle Station (The A.I. Series Book 4) Page 33
