* * *
Chapter Five
The call for silence needed no amplification as it boomed throughout the Senate amphitheatre on Regis. Representatives from all the major families were gathered and the chatter of conversation was deafening, the atmosphere being nothing like the usual respectful decorum of these meetings. Only those descended from the founding fathers would normally speak while the meeting was in session, but not today it seemed. The smell of fear filled the room while murmurings and anxious glances replaced the usual serenity of worship. Unusually, none of the seats were empty as all those who qualified had taken up their right of attendance. Many were qualifying newcomers, those who would normally do anything to avoid being sullied by association with politics or religion. But they had made sure to be here today and all seemed eager to exercise their rights to be heard, or at least be recognized. Why? Because the unthinkable had happened; the evil reach of technology had come to Regis, and the buzz of speculation was that it could only mean one thing; that the tipping point had been reached. The aging population of Rexis had lost control of their computer helpers and the feared takeover by artificial intelligence had clearly begun. And, given the exploding androids in the palace it seemed their reach now even extended to Regis itself.
"Silence!" Again the voice boomed out, and reluctantly the murmurings dwindled in deference to the aged leader at the rostrum. He stood quietly, with priestly disposition and dress in marked contrast to the almost warlike attitude of most gathered in the auditorium. The man waited until there had been a pointed time of silence before beginning to speak.
"Delegates, esteemed representatives of the people, children of the founding fathers; we have called this meeting to reestablish calm, to reassure the people, to be examples of patience and restraint. This is not a time for rash action; this is a time for us to demonstrate our wisdom and restraint while we ponder . . ."
"With respect Darius . . ." A much younger man stood and waited for the leader’s attention. Seated several rows from the front, heads turned quickly to see who had interrupted the premier, behavior unheard of in the senate. The young man seemed undaunted by the attention although his companions on either side appeared to slink away, doing their best to create distance from the presumptuous one.
He continued confidently, "The time for restraint has passed; this is no time to sit back and wait for our policy of dominion by attrition to continue its course. This attack by the AI of Rexis is an act of war. Brethren, suicide bombers in the palace, a place where innocent civilians are visiting - this atrocity cannot be allowed to go unpunished! And what does it signal that for the first time in generations these monsters have come to our planet and insinuated themselves amongst us. No one is safe now; we must take action!" He remained standing, buoyed up by resounding calls of support from around the room; mostly newcomers it must be noted.
Darius remained calm. He paused, allowing the room to quiet before lifting his head slowly to the young man and engaging eye contact; it was the look of a steely assassin. The young man did not flinch under the elder’s gaze.
"Young Perin, welcome to this honored assembly. That these events have prompted you to finally take up your father's long vacant seat, and drawn others . . ." he paused to look slowly around the room, taking in the gathered hundreds, "in fact many others, drawn here to join us today, that is something to be grateful for. Nevertheless, the very event that prompted your sudden interest in politics is also the event that reveals the wisdom of our approach. Our policy of wait and regain is finally bearing fruit. Clearly these monsters, robots, androids . . . call them what you will, were here on some spying mission. It can only mean that that the time of our ascension is drawing near and they are seeking to establish the degree of our threat. That these machines destroyed themselves on discovery means nothing of value has been lost. Yes, this is a time for action, but it must be carefully considered action and clearly we have time."
Perin sneered. "Don't you see Darius? The very fact these machines self destructed tells you the threat is serious. There may be no time to lose; our very existence may be at stake. Are you prepared to gamble with the lives of our people, our children? The enemy has come to our door; we sit and wait now at our peril."
Again, a loud murmuring broke out around the room, and it had the sound of agreement, of anger.
"Brothers and sisters." Darius called for attention. "You know it has always been our concern, and the concern of our founding fathers, that there should be no loss of life by any aggressive act of ours on Rexis. Even the destruction of their accursed technology would lead to loss of life there since they are so dependent on their machines. These are our kin, and they have not acted against us in any way, they have respected our beliefs and left us in peace . . ."
"Until now!" Perin interrupted.
"These were robots Perin!" Darius countered. "Not the people of Rexis. We cannot act in aggression based on the actions of mere machines acting without morals or emotion as we would expect them to. This does give us hope. Clearly the time of attrition is drawing to an end." He again scanned the room, looking for support. "Be patient my brethren, our time is near, and when only the machines are left we will release our plague and reclaim the planet peacefully as long planned."
"But Darius . . ."
"Enough!" Darius snapped. "Let the voting delegates stand, the representatives of our founding fathers will decide."
A rumble from around the auditorium signaled movement and the mostly older group rose to their feet. More males than females were qualified to vote and the young Perin stood with them.
"Darius." a voice rang out. "What is the proposal that we vote on?"
Darius thought for a moment. "That we refer the matter of any action on the incursion to the defense committee. Further that we reaffirm the policy established by the founding fathers, that is 'wait and regain'. Time will then see us ascend into our role and return to our homelands."
"If we are to vote then I would like to propose an amendment, Darius."
Darius was scanning the room for the voice, the sound difficult to follow in the large amphitheatre. His eyes were finally drawn to a tall figure toward the rear, not sitting in his usual chair but immediately recognizable; it was Perin’s uncle. "Yes brother Maynard, I did not recognize you so far back there; and your amendment is?"
The old man hesitated before answering. "That we appoint new blood to the defense committee. I propose my nephew Perin and his companions Papal and Croye as they are the cream of our defense academy and they represent the future. We are growing old Darius - it is they and their ilk that must carry our people on."
Darius appeared to shrink at the proposal before drawing himself up to full height. "All those in favor of the proposal and the amendment say aye."
A resounding aye echoed around the chamber and Darius did not bother to call for nays to speak. He looked up to where Perin was sitting. "May you live up to the honor of your father's name Perin - we will be in touch." And with that he stalked from the chamber.
Leaving the chamber Perin and his friends made quickly for the office of his uncle, ignoring the attempts by a few malcontents to engage him in the corridors. The old man was already seated and working as they burst in and he didn't look up for a moment, theatrically tapping the table top with the point of his pen before raising his head.
"Perin my boy, welcome - and you too Papal, and Croye, however could you please leave us for a moment, I need a private word with my nephew."
They looked disappointed but their pride saw them recover quickly.
"Of course master." Papal answered for them both, then turned to his friend. "Perin, we will be outside if you need us." They reluctantly slipped from the room.
Maynard stood and walked around the desk to his side while gesturing for Perin to take a seat. He did so and then laughed inwardly as he noted his uncle chose not to sit, instead standing over him. Then to his surprise Maynard knelt, placing a hand on each on each of Pe
rin’s knees and squeezing hard. Nothing was said for a moment and the tension in the room seemed to rise.
It was Maynard who spoke first.
"Perin, this is the moment, your moment. The meeting changes nothing and you were right, the visit from Rexis is unprecedented and clearly indicates there is movement on their side. I doubt strongly that they are thinking of invading, that is not in their programming. But we should note this visit clearly telegraphs their deep concerns; the tipping point has been reached, Perin. Our kin have been unable to sustain their population and the machines are concerned. We must move now, take the initiative and claim our families and your father's birthright as regents of the homeland. Young Perin, there is no family more worthy or able than ours; now you must take the steps as we planned and do it soon. The proposed committee will procrastinate as always, nothing will be done."
"Then why did you propose me to be on the committee?"
"As cover my boy - nothing has changed from what we have discussed. By being on the committee and supportive of the process, no one will be watching you closely. However with our plan you will prove to be the deliverer of our people and later will be in a unique position to justify your actions with inside knowledge of the committee's ineptitude. The only power that matters then will be the people. With your success they will recognize you and our clan as the rightful leadership as we make the move back to the Rexis homelands."
"The ship is ready?" Perin asked.
"Soon - very soon, and in the meantime use this opportunity to build your profile, present yourself as the future leader you will be."
"Uncle, we don't have the weapons or the virus yet, how can we succeed?"
"Perin . . . I do have the virus, we need only to feed it to their system, anywhere on the planet. It is virulent and tenacious; it will quickly infect the whole system on Rexis during its dormant stage, and then everything will shut down. You must carry it down and deliver the death blow."
"Uncle, what if it doesn't work?"
"My boy, it was developed as the failsafe by our very founders, the same ancestors who gave birth to those accursed AI's and then became complacent as they evolved. Complacent and naive they may have been but the virus will work, it attacks the very source code of their system and anything connected will not escape. Our forefathers carried it with them when they left and it is time to deliver it back before we return."
Perin just nodded with his thoughts in turmoil. The old man struggled back to his feet and unsteadily walked back behind his desk.
"For now Perin, celebrate with your friends but do so with decorum. In less than seven nightfalls you will be underway and you are our soon to be deliverer. In the meantime be in the news for all the right, not the wrong reasons. Now, be gone, I have everything in hand and will be in touch with you soon."
The younger man rose and made for the door, hesitating there before turning back. "I won't let our people down, Uncle."
"I have complete confidence in you Perin and your father would be proud of you."
As Maynard watched the door close behind Perin another opened to the side of the office. A woman entered and walked toward his desk, one eye still warily on the other entrance. She looked concerned.
"Maynard my love, can it really be so simple? You are sending Perin with no arms, no real means of attack or defense."
"My dear, he needs only to access their systems in a strategic place and the battle is won for us, do not worry. We have the place, and the time and the people."
"But how will they defend themselves, and get back?"
"Darling, it is not important that they return, only that they carry and upload the virus."
"But if Perin is captured, or killed, who will lead?"
He smiled. "Our family of course, this isn't about one individual. There are others capable of leadership." He turned his attention back to his work.
* * *
Reubus Orbital, Gliese star system.
Reubus chatted with himself happily, several versions of himself in fact, he being the only worthy company he could bother with in the business world of the Gliese system. He quite enjoyed this actually, having copied himself into a small coterie of androids, one of which was perched on the table. There were five in total, four male and one female, with the female being a Regan model kept most often in a naked state. It was this Regan model that was currently splayed across the table and the one with whom he was conversing.
The well dressed male looked concerned. "I don't like this; we are somewhat at a disadvantage here aren't we? We won't hear anything about the success of agent Leith for several more weeks at least. Consequently we have no idea whether he achieved our aims or whether we need to make alternative plans. Meanwhile Stein can jump back and forth at will. What - is - she - up to?"
From the table the naked female rolled to give the speaker a sympathetic look. "We shouldn't worry, eventually we'll win Regan to our side and she will be ours, after all she suspects nothing untoward, and how could she? We've done nothing to be ashamed of - oh we've been unscrupulous perhaps but we've done nothing illegal. She loves a business challenge too and will be scheming herself on that basis alone. However," she smiled wickedly, "we know she has vulnerability in her over care of the needy; that pitiful concern for Tihan is a case in point and it may be her downfall." She hesitated, knowing she had the attention of the group. "It is admirable in some ways, this caring nature she has, and we do find it quite attractive, don't we?" She smiled lewdly.
"We'd certainly like a bit of her 'over care' wouldn't we?" said one of the males and the group laughed loudly with Reubus/Regan on the table curling into a ball as she shook with the effort.
"What is it that she said to Tihan that he now holds out so determinedly?"
"And what is Dahlia up to in supporting him?"
"Hmm, when we think of Dahlia, we must remember she is now 'Hilary', Regan's Hilary. Dahlia is no more. The new Hilary will always act in the way she believes Regan would, and that is another weakness we can exploit in negotiation."
"We must remember there should be no negotiating with Hilary, there is no point, she doesn't have energy capacity to supply more than a few others, and therefore she is no real threat to us."
They all smiled as one. "And, we sense that Hilary has her own interests, she is more than a little interested in us, we the mighty Reubus; she wishes to explore the world of the sensual."
"Perhaps we could entice her into some physical relationship? If we could win her devotion perhaps we wouldn't need Regan at all."
"Perhaps, but we would always need Regan and should be negotiating with her; there is her Earth system to consider after all. We want to expand there too for trade potential; if we can win Regan our reach will have no bounds."
All five androids seemed to shiver, not at the idea of trade, but at the thought of negotiating with the earth goddess. With one thought the four males turned to the table. The Regan android smiled and rolled slowly to the edge, dropping her legs to the floor and reaching across the table top to grip the other side, a sensuous action that presented her buttocks to the room. No one squabbled, they simply lined up for their turn.
This self pleasuring wasn't entirely satisfying, but it would do . . . for now.
* * *
The Styles’ Compound, Hillary Station
Hilary observed, digested and worried as the current objects of her concern argued with no sign of compromise; Moriah would not wait and Aaron would leave tomorrow. Beside himself with worry, Aaron continued to appeal as the Coran beauty made to leave the room.
"But Moriah, you know I must go with the fleet, but you could come too, with Ruben. Come with me if you don't wish to stay here."
"No Aaron - we have discussed this. The business matters cannot wait and I have made commitments, commitments that thanks to your intransigence I cannot fulfill completely. I must go to Gliese personally to attend to these things as a matter of family honor - and I will take Ruben with me as an oppo
rtunity for him to meet his relatives." Her look firmed. "Aaron, you will be away after all, this is the best possible time."
He shook his head in despair. "You know I'm not comfortable about this, what if they won't let you return?" Aaron began to pace the room frantically as he rambled on. "You will have breached contract - they may charge you with something - they may hold you there and I don't know how these things work. Moriah - what will happen to Ruben?"
She hesitated at the doorway and glared back in frustration. "Aaron, these are problems of your own making. You know I acted in ours and Rubens best interests by signing those papers, as you gave me the authority to do. It is your reneging on my commitment that puts us in this embarrassing position and nothing else. You seem to care little about the future security of our son, or me. Honor now dictates that I front this issue at home, I'm sure they will understand and propose some kind of compromise."
"But Moriah, I can't compromise, I don't own this intellectual property; it's not mine to trade or give away, not on my own anyway."
"Then we have a dilemma Aaron, because everyone except you it seems, everyone who knows anything about these matters believes you do have the rights. You have seen the legal opinions Aaron, and you must be in denial because the stars know you are not stupid. Aaron, you may not want the riches that will flow from your discoveries but your son deserves them, and do you care nothing for me?" She took on an uncompromising determined look. "Aaron, we are going, and that is final." Moriah stalked from the room; in her mind the discussion was over.
He stood there a moment longer, desperate with worry, and then a thought occurred to him.
"Hilary, are you there?"
"Yes Aaron, I am here." Her voice came softly and so focused that it seemed as if she were whispering beside him.
Regan's Reach 4: Avarice Page 13
