There was a virus file hidden in this transmission. The Hammer class warships were the larger dreadnoughts leading the vanguard, and more of them accompanied the main fleet. He modified the message to automatically transmit to other Xesset starships with starship and officers’ names inserted to match the recipients. Each message had a copy of the virus attached.
He listened to the replies, which promised him all kinds of retribution. The Xesset were not certain whether he was on board the frigate or was somewhere in their fleet. The vanguard erupted with messages back and forth, which also included recipients in the main fleet. Steg smiled. The virus was spreading.
“Alke, push the frigate through a short s-t jump. I want it to be between the vanguard and the main fleet. It’s time to accelerate the spread of our virus. Also, I want to contaminate Planet Crusher.”
Minutes later, Alke moved the frigate to its new position. Its course was random, veering first in one direction and then in another, with random and short s-t jumps. A human crew would not survive the crushing forces. Xesset responses were late and misdirected.
Steg broadcast his next message. He said, “Supreme High Admiral Arkdir, your wives are unfaithful because you cannot satisfy them. Your Champion is old and feeble. Your crews are cowards. It’s time you retired. Hand control to your junior officer. He would do a far better job.” The admiral was on board Planet Crusher.
A furious fusillade reached out towards the frigate, which disappeared again with a short s-t jump before the firestorm reached it. Steg transmitted a second message. This one had the virus attached.
“Supreme High Admiral Arkdir, your weapons are ineffective, and your crew lacks leadership. Retire before you are forced from your ship. Planet Crusher is doomed. The God K’Harnat wants your blood. Go to your cabin and weep.”
Steg was enjoying himself. Ship-to-ship messages reached out across the entire fleet as they tried to identify whether the message source was the frigate that continuously evaded their weapons fire or somewhere within the fleet, perhaps from one of the non-Xesset starships. Each message was a likely carrier of the virus.
“Alke, what’s your estimate of virus contamination?”
“It’s high. Probably a third of the fleet has received contaminated messages. The question is how effective the virus will be and how soon it will start to constrain their systems.”
One of the Xesset starships managed to predict the next position of the frigate, and the unmanned vessel disappeared from the multidimensional plot. Steg visualized the impact and explosion and promised himself he would increase the level of damage the Xesset fleet. More alien starships were coming into range as Wanderer headed towards the incoming vanguard.
“Steg, the first starship that received a virus file is showing signs of system degradation. It’s Hammer One. It’s slowing and falling out of formation. I’m detecting numerous ship-to-ship messages across the fleet inquiring as to its status. The virus contagion is going to be far more comprehensive than you expected.”
“Good. I think we’re now close enough to reach out and make direct contact. Let’s take control of one of the unaffected dreadnoughts and cause it to fire on its companions.”
“Will Ebony provide enough protection for you?” asked Finch.
“I believe it will help. I haven’t been knocked over since you brought it to me. There are hidden electronics in the hilt. I don’t think even the Glass Complex knows what it does. I can feel it: Ebony comes alive when it senses that I’m nearby and if I’m under threat.”
“I can sense its functions; however, they’re far too faint and strange for me to interpret,” Alke said. “It provides some form of protection; that’s all I can identify. If you’re ready?”
Together, Steg and Alke reached out with their senses towards the fleet. Ioke was in the background, ready to provide support. Steg identified their target: a dreadnought apparently untouched so far by the virus. Steg felt that familiar wash of evil, but it was muted, somehow restrained. He could sense the activities of Ebony’s micronics; they were focused on muting the waves of evil.
Alke reached the target dreadnought and identified an entry point into its monolithic system structure. It somehow had diverted the virus file. Steg checked to determine whether the diversion was intentional or inadvertent and relaxed when he realized it had been the latter. He moved the file out to the main processing sector where it could commence its task. In the meantime, Alke identified and usurped the dreadnought’s fire control processes, and then Steg took control of its navigation system. Together, with Steg directing the huge starship and Alke firing every weapon from missiles to rail guns, they wreaked havoc on nearby starships. In turn, those starships fired onto their companions; other starships joined in the exchange, not knowing which starship should be their target or why they were reacting. An increasing number of starships, their virus infestation well underway, were incapable of either navigation or mounting a defense against what seemed to be traitorous attacks.
At last, the Xesset dreadnought was subjected to a focused attack from its fellows and it exploded in an impressive finale, destroying more nearby starships. Steg signaled Alke and Ioke. “Let’s find Planet Crusher. If we can take control of that warship, the fleet will be headless. I want the two of you to help me.”
Alke was cautious. She said, “Do you think it would be better to wait? Zhu and the other AIs will be here soon. We could make a concerted effort with five additional AIs?”
Steg was not swayed. “I want to hit as hard as possible as soon as we can. This is our opportunity. Imagine the damage if we can cause Planet Crusher to attack its own fleet.”
“Very well. Ioke can join with us. Adrias can manage all Wanderer’s functions while we’re engaged in this attack.”
Both AIs joined Steg and they reached out to the lead starship. Waves of evil hit Steg, but fortunately, were still muted by Ebony. He identified Planet Crusher’s key systems, signaling for Alke to take over Helm systems and for Ioke to manage Weapons. He sought out Engineering; he wanted to cause the warship to repeatedly transit the fleet at high speeds while keeping the huge dreadnought functioning for as long as possible. He inserted messages, all with virus files attached, into the Xesset ship’s communication links with other ships in the fleet. He checked the virus progress in Planet Crusher; its systems would collapse in another thirty minutes. He signaled Alke and Ioke.
Planet Crusher under Alke’s control, moved off on a random path, colliding with smaller starships and firing every weapon it possessed. It unleashed wave after wave of missiles, targeting more of the Hammer class dreadnoughts and any other warship that was in the way. Starships collided in their haste to avoid the unexpected attacks, while others were reluctant to fire on the wildly maneuvering starship. Supreme High Admiral Arkdir at first threatened his crew with death because they were not in control and then instructed his Admiral’s Champion to carry out executions. At the same time he was sending out messages threatening any captain with death if they fired on his starship.
This was the chaos Steg sought. Steg searched for the ImpSec starships that had joined with the Xesset fleet, and Ioke fired Planet Crusher’s weapons at these new targets. The Imperial starships retaliated; they were not hesitant to attack the Supreme High Admiral’s flagship, unlike the lesser-ranking Xesset captains and admirals. An unimaginable array of starship weapons exchanged fire; some Xesset ships fired at the ImpSec ships, and Planet Crusher fired at everyone. Steg could detect the degradation of the flagship’s systems as the virus caught hold and as incoming weapons fire began to tear at Planet Crusher.
He warned Ioke and Alke of his next step, “I’ve identified the self-destruct mechanism and I’ll trigger it in thirty seconds. Be prepared.”
Steg silently counted down the seconds. When he reached the last second, he activated the triggers for the explosives designed to destroy Planet Crusher. Fire ripped through the starship, shredding and destroying the starship and killing cre
w and officers. The final explosion overwhelmed Ebony’s protection. Pain lashed his body, blackness engulfed him, and he collapsed on Wanderer’s bridge. He did not see the Supreme High Admiral’s starship rip apart, sending debris across the fleet, damaging and in some cases destroying starships that were too close. Other starships, their systems compromised by the virus, began their own self-destruction processes, causing more destruction and adding to the chaos of the ever-decreasing survivors.
Zhu and his companion AIs arrived as the catastrophic wave of slaughter was building, and they worked with Alke to continue deploying the tactics commenced by Steg. The result was inevitable: the Xesset fleet and their ImpSec allies were destroyed.
Dr. Yi watched as the medbot lowered Steg onto the bed in the intensive care unit. She watched as the nurse connected leads to his body. Her preliminary diagnosis was that he would recover consciousness, although she was not able to make an accurate time prediction. She planned to have the diagnostic readouts continually monitored, just in case.
CHAPTER 38
STEG PARTIALLY REGAINED AWARENESS, fighting against waves of pain and blanketing blackness until, exhausted, he slid back into unconsciousness. The Fain were taking turns to sit beside his bed, and Dr. Yi checked his condition every hour. Ebony marines, two at a time, fully armored, were standing guard outside his intensive care unit. There was a hush over the starship as everyone waited for news of his recovery.
The Xesset fleet of starships, those still functioning, had fled. Others executed their self-destruct process, sacrificing themselves, their crews, and their ships in final, furious explosions. Zhu, supported by Jessie, had ordered the capture of as many ImpSec starships and their crews, as possible. Other alien and human ships, those still free of the virus and functioning, were permitted to depart once task force inspection crews and bots had stripped them of weapons and ammunition. There had been protests; Zhu’s solution was simple. He ordered the protesting crew to take to their shuttles and sent the empty vessel into a gradually diminishing orbit around the Djii sun. He had to implement his decision only once; after that example, no one else—other than ImpSec—protested.
ImpSec protested to no avail. Their officers and crew members were arrested and held in a soon to be overcrowded hulk, a badly damaged ImpSec destroyer, now without weapons and incapable of flight. Tugs held it in a geostationary orbit. Their starships were taken over by Alke or Zhu, with Nyx’s assistance if needed.
The Alliance fleet had arrived in time to help with mopping up and rescue missions; by then, the fight was long gone from the surviving Xesset and their allies. After a tenday, Tac Commander Hamilton had persuaded General Kuzman to leave a token force of three destroyers, while the remainder of the Alliance force returned to their base, taking their extra crews with them. Hamilton was promoted and given command of the three starships remaining in Djii space. He had an ulterior motive and Jessie was often in conference with him. Finch teased her friend unmercifully. The Fain had a hidden concern that her friend might not be able to fully explain her background to the Alliance officer.
Steg, at the end of the second tenday, opened his eyes and looked around the medical suite where he was being cared for after his condition had been downgraded from critical. Finch was in the chair beside his bed. He could hear the soft hum of medical monitoring equipment in the background. Finch was reading something on her comunit and had not noticed Steg was awake.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice croaky.
Finch screamed, dropped her comunit, and hugged Steg. Two nurses came running and an Ebony marine peered around the doorway. Finch was crying, tears unashamedly flowing down her cheeks.
“Steg.” She pulled back, slapped his shoulder, and said, “Don’t ever frighten me like that again.” She hugged him again. The two nurses, after checking the medical computer readouts, returned to their duty station and linked to Dr. Yi, to let her know her patient was conscious. The Ebony guard returned to his station and gave a thumbs up signal to his companion while he linked to Kirby to let him know. When he finished, he and his companion relaxed the severity of their formal stand. Their boss was going to recover.
Stacia and Tessa, closely followed by Aadan, joined Finch in the hospital room. They had to push her aside so they too could hug Steg. His eyes were starting to droop when Dr. Yi arrived. She chastised the Fain and Aadan, gave Steg a hug, and chased everyone from the room. As Steg dropped back to sleep, she checked the computer displays, and satisfied with his condition, also left the room.
Seconds later, five holograms formed beside the bed, followed, in seconds, by two more. Echo and Amber were in distant orbit while the others were closer. They all stood, silently watching over Steg.
Alke said, in an electronic whisper, “He’s going to recover.”
Steg, half asleep, replied in a similar manner. “Did you expect otherwise?”
Nyx touched his shoulder . “We’d all hug you like the others, if we could. Go to sleep. We’ll be back when you wake.” The holograms faded and Steg slept.
He dreamed. He was in one of Wanderer’s classical gardens; it might have been his favorite, Classical Garden 24. He was sitting on a grass patch in the center of the small oval of flowering plants, surrounded by six spider-like aliens. They were large, a meter or more tall, and they had each spun a thread that linked to him. They’d first spun their threads days before; however, he had lost count of the days while he was unconscious. The threads were symbolic; the links were real. The spiders had helped him recover. They did not explain; they did not communicate verbally. Energy had flowed from each one, from all the spiders that inhabited the heights above the gardens and parks on the various levels of the superdreadnought. Their energy had held him, had kept him alive, while his mind and body had fought back against effects of the explosive shock when the huge Xesset starship self-destructed.
The spiders had not explained, although he felt a flow of impressions. They understood his concepts and were amused at his image of them as spiders. They provided a name that he was able to form in his mind although he knew he would never be able to write it out. It was a concept, a collection of symbols for which there were no letters. The spiders lived partially in the electronic world that he and the AIs were able to enter, and they had sensed—not just sensed—they had followed the course of their battle and they understood why the Xesset had to be defeated. The spiders had helped. Steg was not sure how, or even why. Somehow they had strengthened his electronic links to Planet Crusher, not realizing how the final explosion would impact him. They were apologetic. Steg demurred, pushing back on their self-blame. He had acted in the heat of the moment, looking for a way to wipe out the key to the Xesset fleet organization. It was his own fault.
The matter was debated, not so much with Steg, but with the other spiders, hidden, somewhere in the heights. Their conclusion: it was a shared responsibility. Steg did not argue. He was tired and needed to rest. The spiders faded away, and he slept for hours.
He knew, when he awoke, the spiders were unlikely to visit again. They lived in their separate world and were comfortable on board Wanderer. They were part biological and part electronic. They enjoyed the flows of electronic communications and electrical currents on board Wanderer; it was a rich diet for them.
He checked. He had another bedside guardian. This time it was Tessa, and she was watching him with only a modest amount of concern in her expression.
“You gave us a hell of a scare,” she said. “I know Finch slapped you; now consider yourself slapped by all of us. Don’t do that again.”
“I promise.” His voice was still hoarse. “Do I get food in this institution? Water? Or a coffee?”
Tessa sent a message and checked the reply. “If your lordship can wait a mere five minutes, a meal will be provided.”
The catering bot with a hot meal arrived in company of Finch and Stacia. Dr. Yi was not far behind. She said, “What are you feeding my patient? Let me check.” She looke
d at the menu and commented, “Very well. I’m not sure about coffee. Too much stimulation—”
The Fain laughed. Finch said, “He’s going to need all the stimulation he can get. It’s only a small cup, enough to let him know what he’s been missing.”
Lin Yi smiled. “Very well. Help me lift him up—use those pillows. Good. Now, are you going to feed him?”
Steg looked from Lin to Finch. “I—” He coughed to clear his throat and continued, “I can feed myself, I’ll have you all know.”
“Oh, shush,” said Finch as she spooned food into his mouth. “Eat.”
After he finished the meal, Steg commented, “I could have done that by myself far more efficiently and without any mess.”
Dr. Li said, “I’m out of this conversation. Drink your coffee.” She handed Steg a mug containing a small amount of coffee. “Tell me. You survived a tremendous shock. Wanderer’s medical section is in disbelief. As are the three Imperial Navy doctors who checked you and prescribed some of your treatment. I’d like to know, what’s your secret?” She straightened out the bedclothes. “You look as though you could keep up with your marines in a training session.”
Steg didn’t think mentioning the spiders was advisable. “I really don’t know what to say. I agree, I feel surprisingly fit. When can I get out of bed?”
The doctor looked at him with disbelief; her expression was not entirely feigned. “You’ve been unconscious for days and you want to get up and party.” She looked at the Fain. “I blame you all. Get out, let our patient shower and change his clothes. I’ll have a bot make up the bed. Steg, let’s see how you feel in four or five hours. If you’re awake, I’ll let you sit up and talk to these nuisances. Go, all of you, go.”
oOo
Diamond Cut: Book Three in The Glass Complex Trilogy Page 23
