Every Last Mother's Child

by William J. Carty, Jr

  Chapter 6: At the Mountain

  Alice had been surprised when she got to the mountain a couple of days after Lady Wilson’s rescue. She had spent a couple days being debriefed by the investigation team for Lady Wilson’s abduction. When she finished in processing and her sergeant had escorted her into her office she found Marshal and Lady Wilson waiting for her in the office that she had been assigned. As she came in Marshal Wilson called her staff to attention. She came to attention and saw her five man staff do the same.

  “Attention to orders,” The Marshal said. It was then she noticed that Kellogg, and Chief James were present as well as General Langtree, and Chief Atomi. She wondered what was going on.

  “For service to the crown,” he continued, “and for her efforts in finding the abductors of Lady Lisa Wilson, the Evacuation Command is bestowing the Militia Service Cross upon Lieutenant Alice Jones. Her timely detection of the sensor block of north central Trenaport led to the direct rescue of Lady Wilson! For this work the Queen has authorized the award of the distinguished service cross.”

  Alice, in shock didn’t even see Lady Wilson approach and ask, “Thank you Lieutenant. May I give you the award?”

  She numbly nodded.

  “When you are done here see me.” Wilson said, “Though from the sounds of things a couple of us may have to arm wrestle to get you on our staff. Though RHIP right gentlemen?”

  The officers chuckled.

  “Aye sir!” Alice saluted the officer hoping she was getting it right.

  As they left, Georgia nodded to her, as she heard Mylea comment, and “It looks like she’s gotten her klutziness under control.”

  They left the office.

  Anderson, her sergeant had been watching quietly, seeing that his new lieutenant was overwhelmed from the attention, spoke up, “LT we’re your team. We’re a combination security and maintenance team. When someone works on the main frames, or the AIs one of us has to be present to ensure security. Most of the time these days we end up just holding the chairs to the floor.”

  “Not really Ma’am,” another sergeant replied, “It’s that we’re not that busy.”

  “Well that may not be such a bad thing.” Alice said. “Is this the entire staff?”

  “Yes Ma’am. We’re running two watches twelve and twelve. We were running three eights, until we lost people to evacuation.” Anderson answered.

  “Okay,” Alice said, though she knew all of that. Before signing aboard and refining her orders she had reviewed every computer repair and maintenance team in the mountain. She was trying to figure out if someone on one of the teams was helping the AI or if the AI was working on its own. She still didn’t know which of the Mountain’s AIs, were the traitor. She strongly suspected DefConnie; she had yet to really prove it. She was certain it wasn’t this team, “We’ll keep to that schedule. Anderson you’ve been acting until I got here?”

  “Yes Ma’am,” Anderson answered.

  “Okay this is how I’ll run it.” Alice commented. “Anderson you have the first watch, Smith there will have the second watch. I’ll float between the two watches. Andy you’ll be my exec. When I am not here you speak for the unit.”

  “Yes ma’am” Anderson said. She had in effect left him in charge of the unit.

  “Any issue that comes up with the AIs I want to know about it.” Alice wasn’t about to tell them what she was really there for. “Andy, why don’t you show me around?”

  “Sure thing skipper,” the two left the office. “I’ll take you to the vault.”

  “That’s where the main defense computers are?” Alice asked.

  “Yes,” Anderson said as they approached the first security check point. DeepSpaceJunior saw them coming. Watching their progress through the mountain he was pondering what he was going to do next. The evacuation command had delayed the departure of the immense special weapons barge until things settled down after the rescue of Lady Wilson. But today was going to be the day. He was expecting to leave the mountain and deliver the barge to the Republic. He had hoped that the humbot could be distracted long enough for him to do what he had promised the Republic. He was planning to cause some commotion so his departure would not be noticed. He needed only a couple of seconds to transfer to the weapons barge’s improved computer system. He had managed to fool that dumb AI at Boeing Space Works. He had changed the design specifications for the weapons barge. There was a complete bare computer fully able to take him and house him. He had made sure that he could control the barge. He needed this humbot completely occupied as he made his jump from the planet to the barge.

  “The first check point is to keep the casual intruder out, this one is the real McCoy.” Anderson said, “DNA scan with retina cross check. If you are not authorized for this security you will be stunned.”

  “Okay,” Alice said, she wasn’t afraid of this screening. As a humbot she did not have living flesh and blood and so she didn’t have normal DNA that could be tested. But through some very special bioengineering she could give a DNA sample. Her mother had done well. The DeepSpaceJunior AI watched with interest the results of the security check. This was an isolated system he couldn’t influence its results. So they passed the security check point with no trouble.

  “This room is fairly isolated.” Anderson said, “It is shielded so no emitted electromagnetic, or light signal can get in or out. Everything is designed to prevent an enemy from getting to the computers. There is no radio communications out of this vault. The only telecommunications is through hard lines to a router that is secure itself, and is virus and worm swept and updated around the clock randomly. The backups and the main units are switched in and out randomly. This if so a worm or a virus gets pass the fire walls and scanner, one of the two will not be affected.”

  “That seems to be a good plan,” Alice said and wandered over to one of the computer racks. There were six racks placed randomly around the vault each was labeled with the name of the computer.

  Alice couldn’t believe her good fortune. She had determined that the one of the computers in the Mountain was the cause of the problems they had been having. She had also determined it was one of the main defense computers. The problem she was having was how to determine which computer was the culprit. She knew that only one of them would be the problem. As she looked at the racks and saw the label for DeepSpaceJunior she remembered seeing the DeepSpaceJunior meeting with someone whom the AI didn’t want anyone to see. She wondered if it had been that plain and simple all along, that her mother’s random visit to Cybertown and the chance encounter could be the clue she had been looking for all along.

  “Sergeant,” Alice said noticing something on the rack labeled DeepSpaceMain, “Shouldn’t there be some indication that this computer is on?”

  “Yes they are never turned off; just switched in an out of the network. There is a lot of different hardware hooked into the entire system and one of the reasons other than security that they are switched in and out, is in case a massive attack would kill enough of the entire system to over load the computers.” Anderson said, “That’s odd. I haven’t been here for a while, but usually the computers talk to us. DefConnie Are you here?”

  “Hello Sergeant,” A monitor flared to life, “I am glad to see you.”

  “Huh?” Anderson said looking at the monitor,

  “You are too late,” the monitor said as the doors to the vault closed. “He has been planning this for months. Junior has escaped.”

  “What’s going on?” Alice asked.

  “DefConnie, I don’t understand.” Anderson commented.

  “Finally he’s gone,” DefConnie’s soprano came over the speakers as the vault doors closed. “I have been trying to get control of him for months. I have been watching your progress in infiltrating other computers LT, but couldn’t get a message to you! I was isolated from most of my transmitters.”

  “LT turn on DeepSpaceMain!” the computer said. “It’s been off for months.”
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  “It is showing in the on position” Lieutenant Jones said, “and it has a cyber-lock on the panel.”

  As they watched the DeepSpaceJunior went completely dead.

  “Damn he’s gone!” DefConnie replied, “LT plug in to phone box by my rack. I can’t reach the command center, and things just got dropped in the pot.”

  “How so?” Alice said opening her uniform blouse.

  “Junior has been hiding a Republic war fleet in the asteroids that are coming our way. He is now on his way to join them. He is taking the weapons barge. General Qoum has to be told. I am still isolated. He has got me boxed in.

  Anderson watched mesmerized as Alice took a patch cord out her pocket and patched between her and the communications system.

  “What are you?” he asked.

  “I am a humbot Andy.” Alice said, “Specifically designed to find the traitorous AI. I just screwed up!”

  “No LT,” The defense computer said, “We all did. Once you talk to Qoum I’ll need your help in getting the system back on line.”

  “Command Post this is Jones, I have priority traffic for Mountain 1,” Alice called over the telecom network. Then she invoked the special code that would allow her to be switched to the general immediately, “I say Cheyenne Foxtrot.”

  “Go Lieutenant,” Qoum came over the network, “but be quick we got much trouble here.”

  “I know sir,” Alice said, “general we have a major security breach. DeepSpaceMain was shut down and DeepSpaceJunior took over the near space and DefConnie computers. We have been defenseless for months. I suspect that we have a Republic war fleet somewhere in the system. I also think they may raid the Militia Ship yard where the weapons barge is being loaded.”

  “Roger,” the general terminated the call. He was blind; every defense system he owned was now off line. The only thing he had was the old pre empire system defense systems that were the back up for the modern system they had thought was fail safe. They were not in the same class as the artificial intelligence, and expert systems that made up the back bone of the militia’s defense surveillance system; but they still reported data it just wasn’t analyzed or prioritized by the computers. It would be a bear. There was one other place that could take over the load for the Mountain. But he didn’t want to trust it as it was a fully automated defense system. He didn’t trust artificial intelligence right now. Hiding in among the asteroids, were ship signatures. Warship signatures. He was about to say something to his deputy when the deputy spoke “I see it. Permission to go to a Mountain event?”

  “Make it happen! Declare a space defense emergency. Request that the Majestic and the Graamon investigate possible hostile enemy warships. Also I want a militia flight to deny departure to the weapons barge. Do not fire on it. There are enough heavy weapons on it to destroy half the planet. Even from orbit!”

  “Aye,” his deputy replied as Qoum keyed the hotline to the Evac Command Post.

  “Wilson,” Mike had just got back to his office from a visit to an evacuation loading zone as the hot line clamored for attention.

  “Our Defense AI has betrayed us, there is an invasion fleet hiding among the rocks heading our way.” the general briefed the Marshal, “I am mobilizing the militia, the Imperial Fleet and the Thonian Fleet. Miss Jones thinks that one of the AIs is going for the weapons barge.”

  “Blow it up,” Mike commanded.

  “I can’t sir. The blast will destroy the planet.” The general refused, “I can’t let that barge leave the dock. If it gets into the hands of the Republic we’re in deep shit. Get the Queens to the bunker, and batten down Marshal. I am going to prevent that barge from going to the Republic, and with the help of our friends we’re going to bloody those fuckers in a way that will make them think twice about following us to Home.”

  “Give ‘em hell general.” Wilson called. He stabbed a button on his console, “This is EVAC 1 we have an emergency, all staff to the bunker! Prepare to fight an invasion.”

  “Let’s go sir!” Mac came in. At this point Mac had one job. That was to get the Marshal to safety. Others were already getting the Queen and the Marshal’s family to safety. No less than four protective agents ensured that Lisa got to safety in the bunker.

  “Mike we got problems,” Mylea said looking up when she saw Mike come in. “This is a coordinated attack. Someone is blowing things up in Trenaport.”

  “Trenaport fire is responding to about thirty fires and explosions.” Janet Able said as a firefighter handed her a report, “Mike they are all in the evacuated sections! There isn’t any occupied structure endangered. Just my fire fighters.”

  “I am getting the same thing from the Companions, and the Mounties,” Mylea injected.

  “Okay ladies,” Mike ordered, “Defensive mode. Don’t waist resources we don’t have. Protect the remainder of the evacuees and let anything we don’t need burn.”

  “Marshal,” Janet responded, “We’ll try to make it happen; but we’re down on resources I think I have a total of may be two hundred fire fighters city wide, and I may not be able to contain these fires away from our people.”

  “I know Janet,” Mike agreed, “Just do your best. This will be over quickly one way or the other.”

  “Aye sir.” the fire chief replied turning to her terminal and started issuing orders.