by Robert Boren
“Maybe we should leave the mines there, set to blow by proximity,” Skip said.
“Absolutely not,” I said. “If we could watch them and get a visual confirmation before we blow them, I’d consider it, but we don’t have that capability.”
“I agree with Captain Clarke on that,” Nolan said. “How much further are we going?”
“Let’s err on the side of caution,” Sondra said.
“We could leave the mines in place but turn off the proximity triggers,” Skip said. “Pick them up later. Might not be a bad idea to jump from here instead of the Leo Supercluster. Even if they don’t send ships after us, they might see the location. If we take off from the Leo Supercluster, the Overlords might put two and two together, and figure out we used a natural worm hole to get to Boroclize.”
I thought about that for a moment. “That makes sense to me. I approve. Nicely thought out, Skip.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“There is another alternative,” Nolan said.
I glanced at him. “Go ahead.”
“We could leave one of the small ships here. They could watch and trigger the mines if needed.”
“Won’t we need both of those ships at Boroclize?” Sondra asked.
I thought about it for a moment. “I’ve got to think about this. Either scenario presents some risk. If the Overlord ships show up after we’ve left, they’ll see the mines.”
“We could drive them away from the spot where the worm hole ended,” Nolan said.
“That’s what I assumed,” Skip said.
I laughed. “You’re not supporting the idea you just came up with, Nolan.”
“It was an alternative. I wasn’t making the judgement that it was the right choice.”
Sondra stood. “Leaving one of the small ships is the best idea.”
“Why?” I asked.
“If the Overlord ships show up and we don’t destroy them, they’re gonna wonder where the hell we went. If they study it, they’ll see the natural worm hole.”
“Dammit,” I said under my breath. “You’re right. We need to leave one of the ships here. I suggest the Tristar, since it has less cargo capacity than the Zephyrus.”
“If we’re gonna do that, maybe we should place the Tristar now and be on our way,” Skip said.
I shook my head. “What if those mines don’t destroy the Overlord ships? We know the Tristar can’t destroy the new ships. We might lose her. I’ll only sign off on leaving the Tristar here when there’s a slim chance they’ll have to engage the Overlords.”
I smiled.
I put a call in to Vermillion via my PA. He responded right away, asking me to meet him in the conference room. “Keep an eye on things, Sondra. You have the Captain’s seat for now.”
“Aye, Captain,” she said, taking my seat as I left for the conference room. Vermillion smiled as I walked in.
“What’s on your mind, Captain?”
“Thanks for coming over.” I sat down next to him at the table. “We were thinking of leaving the Tristar here to wait for the Overlords ships, if they don’t show up within a few hours.”
“Why?”
“If they’ve followed us here and they don’t find us, they’re gonna wonder where we went. They might study the area enough to see the natural worm hole into the Virgo Supercluster.”
Vermillion thought about it for a moment, his brow furrowed. “I can see where that would be a problem. You want to ask my permission to leave the Tristar here for a while?”
“Well, that, and I want your permission to share the AI information with Andrea and Captain Cyrus.”
“Why?”
“My AI can tune the weapons system on the smaller ships, giving them enough power to break through the shields of the new Overlords ships. That’s already in work, but we’ll have to explain that capability to Cyrus and Andrea. I can make up a phony story, but I’d rather just be honest with them.”
Vermillion leaned back in his chair. “I think it’s time for the bridge crews of all three ships to know about this. I’ll even approve AIs for them.”
“I didn’t think you’d want to do that this soon.”
“You’re right, I didn’t, but you’ve given me a reason that makes sense. That will put more cargo tasks on the back of the Zephyrus. Think that’s okay?”
“I don’t see that as a problem,” I said. “It’s much better suited for that mission anyway. One other thing. Skip had a good suggestion.”
“Go ahead.”
“When we’re done on Boroclize, we should come back this way and jump from here.”
Vermillion chuckled. “So the Overlords don’t wonder how we got to the Virgo Cluster. Good idea, because they might be watching even if they don’t send any ships here. What about fuel for the Tristar, in case she has to fight one of those big ships?”
“She’s got a full supply now, but we can add reserves before we launch her.”
“Okay, I’m good with all of it. Anything else?”
“No, that was it.”
“All right. I’ve got a bit of news for you.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Schedule info from the main plant. They think they can finish three more Zephyrus-class ships in a month.”
“Wow. How can they go that fast?”
“Robotics, working around the clock,” Vermillion said. “That doesn’t leave the room.”
“I’ll keep it to myself. That’s amazing. How about the New Jersey Class?”
“They think they can shave one month off their schedule, which would make it five months total. I’m skeptical, but we’ll see. Does your AI think he can improve fuel economy on the small ships, as he has on the New Jersey?”
“He says 15%, Mr. Chairman.”
“Good, that will help us. Thanks. You can call the crews of the Zephyrus and Tristar up here and let them know about the AIs. I’d fill in the New Jersey bridge crew after we’ve left.”
“Yeah, no way am I bringing Skip and Sondra off-line now. Thanks.”
“Talk to you soon,” Vermillion said. He left the room.
I went back onto the bridge. “Anything?”
“Not so far,” Nolan said, his eyes glued to his screen.
“Skip and Sondra, I’ve got something to tell you. I won’t answer questions about it until we’re out of action, but I want you to know.”
“Should we be worried?” Sondra asked.
“No, this is a good thing. We’ve been experimenting with newly-developed AI capability. Nolan, JJ, and I have created AI assistants and are working with them now. I’ve just been given permission to extend this to both of you, and to the bridge crews of the Zephyrus and Tristar. I’ll fill you in on the details later.”
Skip smiled. “Cool. Are they helpful?”
“They’re a game changer,” Nolan said. “Glad I don’t have to hide t
he fact that they exist anymore.”
“Is that why you keep pausing in the middle of speaking?” Sondra asked.
“Yep.”
“Maybe we can put them on our PA speakers when we’re in here alone,” JJ said.
“Let’s not push our luck just yet. I’ve called for Andrea and Cyrus to meet me in the conference room. I’ll go over it with them, but if the Overlords show up, I’ll be back out here in a flash.”
“Vermillion was okay with leaving the Tristar here, I take it?” Nolan asked.
“Yes, he approves that, and us coming back here after we’re done on Boroclize to jump away. I gave Skip credit for that idea.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Skip said.
Sondra chuckled. “Don’t get cocky.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Stay sharp.”
“Always,” Skip said.
I joined Andrea in the conference room.
“Something wrong, Captain Clarke?”
“No, don’t worry.”
Cyrus came in with Izzy, Tim, and the pilot and science officer from the Tristar.
“Thanks for coming,” I said, watching as they sat around the table.
“What’s up?” Cyrus asked.
“What I’m about to tell you is top secret. You may discuss it amongst yourselves and with Nolan, JJ, Chairman Vermillion, and me. Nobody else. Understand?”
“This sounds interesting,” Andrea said.
I told them about the AIs, what they were for, and how they could generate their own. There were a lot of questions, but we got through the discussion in less than fifteen minutes.
“Why did this have to happen right this second?” Cyrus asked.
“My AI is tuning the weapons systems and transport module on both the Tristar and the Zephyrus. The tuning will give you the capability to break through the shields on the new Overlords ships.”
“What?” Andrea asked. “Really?”
“Yes, and that’s not all. He can also squeeze roughly 15% better fuel economy out of those ships.”
Tim grinned. “Wow. Has he done that for the New Jersey?”
“Nolan’s been working that with his AI. We get an even better result. We’ve already realized a 20% improvement in the last jump, and we’re thinking we can get another 10% improvement with a little more work.”
Cyrus eyed me. “I’m still not getting why this had to happen right this minute.”
“If the Overlords don’t show up here in the next few hours, we’re going to leave the Tristar here to watch, and blow up the mines if needed.”
“Why?” Cyrus asked.
I told him the reasons we’d come up with. He questioned every detail but finally accepted the reasoning.
“The Zephyrus is going to Boroclize, though, right?” Andrea asked.
“We need the cargo capacity to move Boron to the New Jersey,” I said.
“We’ve got cargo lifters,” Andrea said.
“They’re not cloaked, and we don’t want to be seen anywhere near Boroclize,” Cyrus said. “This is a solid plan.”
“Glad you approve,” I said. “That’s all I had. My AI will send the instructions for starting creation of your AIs. I’d better get back to the bridge. Cyrus, ready the Tristar for launch, just in case. I’ll have extra fuel brought down.”
“Yes sir,” Cyrus said.
I went back to the bridge as they left the conference room.
“Anything?” I asked.
“Quiet as a church,” Skip said.
“You can discuss AIs with the bridge crews of the Zephyrus and Tristar, but nobody else.”
“How’d they take it?” JJ asked.
“With shock and bewilderment at first. It was already sinking in before they left.”
“You told Cyrus he might be left here for a while?” Nolan asked.
“Yes, and he agrees with the strategy.”
“How about Andrea?” Sondra asked.
“Same. Tim looked downright giddy.”
Sondra laughed. “Izzy will be doing a lot of eye-rolling.”
Skip nodded. “Tim is kind of a geek.”
“I’m really hoping the enemy shows up before we have to leave,” JJ said. “Leaving a ship behind makes me nervous.”
“You and me both, JJ,” I said.
{ 8 }
Loudspeaker
W e were still waiting for the Overlord ships to arrive at the end of our wormhole. It had been over two hours. My PA buzzed. It was Captain Cyrus.
“Captain Clarke, the Tristar is ready to go. We’ve packed quite a bit of fuel on her.”
“Great,” I said. “Stand by. I’m giving them another hour before we take off. Possibly two. My first choice would be to take you guys with us.”
“Got it, Captain. Talk to you later.”
JJ glanced over at me. “We ought to take a look at the news. Maybe there’s something there that will give us a hint about Overlord response.”
“We can do that on the side screen and continue to monitor,” Nolan said.
“All right, put it on screen,” I said, settling back in the captain’s chair.
Nolan nodded, speaking into his PA. “There was no direct communication from the Overlords to Samson Corporation employees this time. Here’s the official Central Authority news, coming from one of the major outlets.”
“Why do they pretend to be independent?” Skip asked. “Everybody knows the media conglomerates are controlled by the Overlords.”
I chuckled as the document hit the screen.
The search for outlaw Samson Corporation employees continued over the past week, as debate over the Overlord’s actions raged in the Central Authority Senate. Two thirds of the Senate agree with the Overlords that all Samson Corporation employees need to be brought to justice immediately. The minority insists that the attacks on the Samson Corporation were illegal, and that the Overlord leadership should be arrested immediately. Simone has not been available for comment. Meanwhile the pro-Samson Corporation majority in the House of Planetary District Representatives has blocked any action by the Senate to move against allies of the Samson Corporation who are still at large.
Sondra shook her head. “So now it’s illegal to be an ally of the Samson Corporation?”
The HPDR has also made the charge that the Overlords used public funds to create the new Razor Class Battle Cruisers without the proper Central Authority permission and oversight, a charge that the Overlord leadership calls ridiculous. A court injunction to freeze all operations of the Razor Class ships has been issued by a judge friendly to the Samson Corporation and their allies. There is an appeal in process, but the injunction is holding for now. The Overlords are pushing a campaign to explain why the injunction is invalid, while they stonewall all attempts by the HPDR to obtain the technical specs and manufacturing history on the new ships for the Spacecraft Design Approval Committee.
“Wonder how soon my colleagues on the SDAC disappear?” JJ asked.
“I certainly wouldn’t want to be on that board right now,” Nolan said. “This might be a good indication that no Overlord ships are coming here, at least for now.”
I shook my head. “I’ll bet the Central Authority has no idea how many Razor Class ships exist. They might have frozen some while others are on the way here.”
The Overlord Caucus in the Senate has attempted to pass a bill that makes PA usage mandatory. Their attempt is gaining traction, but the HPDR vows to stop any such law in its tracks, and public opinion on this subject is sharply against any such legal requirement. Demonstrations are going on throughout the Central Authority Zone. Simone has warned leaders of the demonstrations that they will be investigated for ties with both the Samson Corporation and the Clan. Her caucus in the Senate has also been pushing the idea that a Special Prosecutor should be named to investigate Chairman Vermillion and
other high-ranking members of the Samson Corporation Board, most of whom are already in custody.
“Kangaroo Court,” Nolan said. “I’m glad the Prime Minister’s term goes on for a few more years. Not that I’m his greatest fan, but he’s been the voice of reason more often than not. Since the HPDR only has two-year terms, we could be one election away from an Overlords majority in the Legislature. That would be the death of liberty in the Central Authority Zone.”
“Prime Minister Aeon hasn’t always been friendly to liberty,” Sondra said. “He just doesn’t want Simone waltzing in and taking power from him. She’ll try for the Prime Minister’s slot in the next major election. Wait and see.”
“You’re probably right,” Nolan said. “Shall I put up the Hamilton Zenos article?”
“Go for it,” I said. “Oh, and send both of these to Vermillion’s inbox.”
“Will do, Captain,” Nolan said. The screen showed the next article.
Greetings, Fellow Travelers. It’s your old buddy Hamilton Zenos. We’ve had another interesting week. The Samson Corporation showed their fangs in another engagement with the Overlords. Their cloaked ships jumped into the midst of the Overlord ships orbiting Earth, the Zephyrus and Tristar destroying several Centurion Class battle cruisers, while the New Jersey took on the huge mystery ship, breaking through its shields, the massive ship having to jump away before it was destroyed. The battle didn’t end there. A railgun fired thousands of large depleted uranium projectiles in the general direction of the cloaked New Jersey. The Samson Corporation ships jumped away long before the projectiles arrived. The battle was followed by another PA stun attack on Earth, which failed badly, thanks to the fact that most people on Earth have removed their PA units. Right after that happened, somebody shut down all the ground stations for the PA network, effectively halting any more attacks on Earth.
Since this action, the Overlords have been forced to admit they’ve created a new class of battle cruiser, called the Razor Class. This revelation has caused a firestorm in the Legislature. Not only did the Overlords secretly develop a new super weapon without permission, but they used taxpayer funds to do it. The number of law violations involved here boggles the mind. The Overlords-dominated Senate is trying to run interference on this, while pushing for mandatory PA usage (yes, they’re really trying to do that). The HPDR is in firm opposition to the illegal Overlords actions, but so far Prime Minister Aeon has been silent about it. Oh, and to top things off, a Central Authority judge has issued an injunction on the Razor Class ships, which orders a suspension of operation of this entire class of battleships. An appeal is underway, and chances are this will end up in the hands of the Supreme Court. The HPDR is demanding that the technical specs and manufacturing history of the Razor Class be handed over to the SDAC. The Overlords are stonewalling. I’m shocked.
