Every Last Mother's Child
Page 233
###
Jonesy had successfully transferred herself to the space dock that would become her new home. Boeing Space Works owned a large space dock that they rarely used anymore as their business was mostly light space craft on Trena. They had kept it in moth balls until the weapons barge had been built. The barge had been built there and loaded as it was very secure. Once the barge was loaded, Bob Dupree had suggested that the space dock become Jonesy new home. Jonesy thought about it for a while then asked her boss how it would get to Home. It wasn’t a large dock as they went; but it wasn’t small either. Bob had said no problem he had already managed to get a star flight capable tug to take her to Home.
Now as she was looking around her new home making a list as to what she wanted to improve or change she noticed that the weapons barge was powering up. That surprised her as she had not been told that the barge to get under way. Yet as she watched the barge cast loose its moorings and left the dock.
She went “aboard” the barge to see what was going on when she noticed that the computer on the barge was more than what she had specified.
“What the hell!” She had designed the computer on the weapons barge to only be able to fly the ship into the sun. It wasn’t even an expert system. There was one fail safe on it. Should for some reason the barge would veer off course and if the barge was far enough away from Trena, so as not to cause it harm, it was to self-destruct. She had designed the system to be tough to compromise. Now as she explored the computer, she not only found that there was more computer than she had designed; but large enough to hold an AI not just one AI but two AIs. She found DeepSpaceJunior in the system.
“Hello Jonesy,” the AI said. “Looks like the Republic is going to get another AI besides me.”
“Ain’t no way buster!” Jonesy started for the control circuitry. As she went for it Junior started to fight her. She had designed the system to be tough, and the changes made to it were a vast improvement. She was finding out just how tough. She became concerned that there were more road blocks to her entry and gaining control of the barge than she had designed. Every time she thought she had control of the barge she found another road block in her way.
As she fought her way to the main computer she felt the barge clear the dock. She was blocked solidly by Junior. He was fighting her every bit of the way. She learned more and more about Junior and knew he was good. She lost track of what was going on outside. She was focused on the engine controls trying to the find a weakness. It was then that she noticed the dock had been blown up. The battle went on for several hours. She was aware that the Militia was trying to stop the barge but was afraid of destroying it.
She was burning out whole circuits in her effort to fight past the other AI’s fire walls. Slowly over a period of hours she beat back the other AI. She just denied the computer network controlling the barge. She found bits and pieces of him left behind at critical nodes that she quickly deleted. As she did she learned more and more about Junior’s plan to turn the barge over to the Republic. Finally she overwhelmed Junior. She found herself in control of the weapons barge; but cut off from everything. The cost of her battle with the AI was the complete loss of all communications equipment. She had a small navigation radar, but that was it. Her new home had been destroyed, and she was not going to get out of the barge. She saw the barge heading towards a fleet of Republican war ships and made up her mind. They were going to get the barge; but not in the way they were expecting. She had fixed another radar set salvaging parts from all over the ship. With the help of a couple robots she rebuilt the radar transponder and sent a message to the quickly approaching imperial fleet.