by Grey Lanter
“Of course. Every man has. But that’s in the same category. I’ve killed many men and aliens but I’ve never murdered anyone.”
“If a race was committing genocide and planned to keep doing it, wouldn’t you kill them?”
“I need a drink.”
“That’s no answer.”
I shrugged. “Would I kill them if I had the chance? Yes, probably. Would I feel guilty about it? I don’t know. Probably not. Not if they were truly committing genocide.”
“That is the situation Lynneorn faced. She could not in good conscience allow the Bellicons to continue but the only way she had to stop them was to kill them. They were beyond reasoning with.” She stared at me with her intense blue eyes. Her voice lowered. “They created this cemetery planet, Logan. They deserved to die.”
I eased down into the co-pilot’s seat. “Geez, got a killer planet below and a killer robot above.”
“She’s not a killer! She executed justice. Justice is harsh, Logan. It has to be. Most people want mercy or leniency, which are both very valuable concepts but neither one is justice. She’s a moral creation even if she is an AI. And she believes in justice.”
“Then let’s hope we don’t do anything she disagrees with,” I said.
“We won’t. We haven’t. We have tried to help. You don’t have to worry about Lynneorn unless you’re planning to commit genocide.”
“Good to know.”
I looked toward the space station, then down toward the planet. “Well, I would prefer if we had a routine, ordinary AI but you can’t always get what you want.” I rubbed my temples, sighed and then stared at Astrid. “Astrid, I trust your judgment totally. You, too, are a moral creation. I depend on your judgment about people, events and machines and AIs. In the depth of your soul, do you think Lynneorn is trustworthy, even if she did ‘fudge’ a bit in her recounting of events?”
She didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, we’ll be safe on the station.”
With Astrid you don’t have to ask twice.
“OK, we’re going to tell the squad to get in the shuttles and fly up here. The sooner we get them off the planet the better.”
We walked back to the passageway and entered. Even if I trusted Astrid, and I did, doubts lingered in the back of my mind. I hoped I had made the right decision. Of course, when faced with the alternatives… But we did have a chance on the planet’s surface, albeit a slim one but a chance. The planet might not be able to break apart the huge ice pack. We could survive until help came. The other alternative was to be on a space station with a computer that killed people. But if Astrid was right – and in my experience she had a 98 percent track record of being correct – then Lynneorn only killed as the last possible option. And I appreciated the fact she felt guilty about killing the Bellicons even if they deserved to die. Only sociopaths never feel guilty.
We exited the passageway as our boots clunked on the metal floor of the space station.
“Welcome back,” Lynneorn said.
“Thank you,” Astrid said. “We’re bringing the rest of our squadron up Lynneorn, if you don’t mind.”
“They will be welcomed. All of you will be safe until your ship comes… I’m glad you decided to stay.”
“The central heating helped,” I said.
I wondered if the sound I heard was a chuckle. “Astrid, I see your friend is witty.”
“That’s one of his many good traits.” Astrid said.
“Did you to decide if I was trustworthy?”
“Yes, ma’am. We did. We think you’re very honorable, Lynneorn.”
“I will do my best to confirm your view.”
CHAPTER 14
I rounded up Carmen and Madigan. We would be the only two traveling back to the planet. The other squad members could stay at the station. We crossed the passageway, which Lynneorn unhooked. The shuttle backed up from the station and slowly turned. I realized I had not asked Lynneorn how long the station had been in the air. Not a vital point but I was curious. Nor had I asked her where the home planet of the Bellicons were located. Again, not vital but it might be valuable to know. The AI had not told us if the Bellicons had any remaining survivors and where they might be. If the race had wiped themselves out, that was fine with me. There were enough hostile races in the galaxy. I didn’t mind there wasn’t one more.
About midway back to the North Pole all systems were running smoothly. I eased back in a passenger seat and thought in a few minutes we’d be out of danger. And out of the cold too.
I miked the commanders on the ground and told them to get everyone into the shuttles. We’d be heading for the space station. We were bringing the extra shuttle so the trip wouldn’t be crowded. However, the squad could begin loading. Five minutes later the camp was in sight. The soldiers waited, peering toward the sky. The thermal units flared a bright blue against the white ice. Only a few snow flurries swirled in the wind. The men were completely covered in the blue thermal suits, with lighter blue masks. Their black gloves grasped the laser rifles. I lifted my mask, as did Carmen.
“I’m going to land just outside the perimeter, Major,” Madigan said.
“That’s fine.”
Several of the blue-suited soldiers saw our destination and walked toward the perimeter line. I smiled. It should only take a few minutes to get everyone loaded and we could head back to the space station. Then put our feet up and think how we would spend Belen’s money.
Then the ground shook.
The blue-clad soldiers wobbled and fell into the snow. They jumped back up but the earth trembled and knocked them down again. Simultaneous explosions knocked our eardrums around. A huge crevice opened and zoomed for the camp. Smaller openings, shooting snow into the area, blasted the ground apart. Soldiers scrambled for the shuttles.
“Madigan, get it down. Hover about three feet off the ground. Our guys can jump,” I yelled.
“Yes, sir!”
A soldier lowered his rifle and fired into the hole that had opened right next to him. The yellow bolts seared into the molars. The dirty mouth closed as quickly as it had opened.
An anguished yell came as one soldier dropped into a second hole. His comrades fired into it but he was gone. It closed quickly. Soldiers ran for cover. An earthly screech sounded as another crevice ripped open the ice.
I miked Capt. Simmons.
“Send those missiles!” I yelled. “Let’s give the planet a headache.”
“The volcanoes or the fault?” she asked.
“The fault. Let’s go with the massive earthquake. That should give Gaia something to worry about.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And keep firing. I don’t care what weapons. Just keep pounding the planet.”
“Yes, sir.”
Several soldiers had already jumped into the shuttle. Others ran toward us. With a blast and what sounded like a ghastly scream, the ice slit into a five foot crevice. I didn’t know the soldier rushing toward us but I feared he was dead.
He did drop his rifle, which to a soldier is almost death. But when the crevice moved toward him, he flexed his legs and leaped into the cold air and somersaulted over the opening. His feet smacked on the ice and he kept running. In three steps he made it to the shuttle and jumped again, this time into the bay of the ship to the cheers of his comrades.
I had an intense desire to shoot something. As a commander and a soldier you don’t like to watch. You want to act. But there was nothing to shoot. I gritted my teeth and could only view the action.
The last soldier jumped into the shuttle. Others had crowded into the others. No blue-clad colleague remained on the ground. All three ships eased off the snow.
The explosion hit us with such force it spun the shuttle around viciously. I fell to the floor and bounced against a wall, slicing my forehead. Blood spilled down my face. When I got to the window I saw a huge opening had been created. Gaia had wanted to swallow the entire camp. But she was a few seconds too late.
&n
bsp; The shuttles were in the air.
As we soared away, a distant rambling reached our ears. The ground shook and rattled. The Sherman’s missiles had hit their target. Gaia would have to deal with an earthquake that might be more than a match for her. I peered toward the southwest although I doubted I could see anything. Perhaps a dark orange flash. A wisp of smoke.
But I did see streaking flashes of red. Missiles from the Sherman had targeted the planet.
I sighed.
“Hobbs, what’s the casualties? How many men did we lose?”
“Only five, sir. We were fortunate.”
“Yes, we were.”
I shook my head. I don’t like to lose any men. No commander does. But Hobbs was right. The death toll could have been much worse. I took one last look at the planet. It was a place I never wanted to see again.
We don’t have any bombs big enough to destroy a planet. But if we did, I know where we would have dropped them.
CHAPTER 15
A day later I sat at my makeshift desk on the space station. The funerals for our department comrades were scheduled for later in the day. We would give them a proper send-off. In our squad, our small elite group, every soldier becomes a part of you. Their deaths are tragic and heart-rending. That’s another reason why I believed it was time for retirement. There were just so many deaths you could take without the battles taking too much of an emotional toll on you. If you live a long time, all your friends make the trip to the cemetery. The friends you have known for twenty, thirty, forty and fifty years are gone and you miss them. I suppose it’s the same type of emotional toll a soldier feels but the emotions are deeper when it’s a man or woman who has put his life on the line for you. You know death may well be a part of this job. At first you know it intellectually. Then as your friends are killed, you know it emotionally. Doctors can accept the deaths of their patients because they are not personally connected to them. A solider is connected to his pals.
Perhaps it was time to lay down the laser rifle and let the galaxy fend for itself. I had been incredibly fortunate in my life. For one thing, I was still alive. For the second thing, I took great pride in many of my missions because they were worthwhile. I still have the medal the Deltans rewarded me for honorable, meritorious service. And if any race in the galaxy knows about honor and meritorious conduct, it is the Deltans.
Third, of course, is I had found Astrid who, due to reasons perhaps unexplainable, loved me. Every day was a joy with her.
Plus, we had money.
So with all those good things, perhaps it was time to quit. Don’t tempt fate anymore.
I shook my head and went back to writing reports. No matter how sophisticated a civilization gets, the freaking government bureaucrats still demand reports. Which is a pain in the neck. I didn’t have to write any for Belen – and even if I did she wouldn’t bother to read them – but I was also working for the government and the government bureaucrats did want paperwork. The more the better. I doubted if they read them either but, if file order No. 246 is not delivered, they’d complain and demand it. Which wouldn’t have bothered me but, if File Order 246 isn’t filed, some of those same freaking bureaucrats have the authority to hold up payment. So you file the papers. But to be honest, considering the money I was getting for this job, filing the paperwork wasn’t a huge annoyance.
Astrid knocked on the door and walked in smiling. The blue eyes sparkled.
“You look like you have good news,” I said.
“I do.”
“Wonderful. I haven’t had much good news lately. Tell me.”
“I’ve just been talking with Lynneorn. We have been so busy I never asked if this station is moveable, besides the standard orbit around the planet, that is. Turned out it can go up and down as well as in a circle. So she can head us toward the Sherman. Now the station is not a NASCAR entry, so it travels slowly but it can get us to the ship. The journey may take about three days but that’s not too bad.”
“No, it isn’t. You tell her to start her engines?”
“Yes. We are on the way.”
“Good. One last trip and then we play golf, tucked away in a relatively modern, peaceful planet with gently, rolling springs, excellent fairways and no strife.”
“Don’t you still have a contract with Belen?”
“I can work on that. I’m sure we can mutually agree to part ways. I will tell her if she ever really needs me, if there’s an emergency or anything like that, she can call me and I will come running. Or speeding toward her in a warp speed ship as the case may be.” I frowned. “You look skeptical.”
“Let’s just say I will believe in that first tee when I get there and watch you make a drive.”
I reached over and grabbed my laser rifle. I held it up. “I can pick this up and it’s been a part of me for years. But I can lay it down.” I leaned it against the wall.
“And not miss it. I can lay it down and leave it there. I can feel just as comfortable with a golf club in my hand. And no one tries to shoot you when you have a golf club instead of a rifle. Besides we’re headed to a peaceful planet, a place where no one shoots anyone else.” I pointed at her. “Do you realize there is a place on Earth named Everton, Indiana? The remarkable thing about Everton is during a span of eighty-seven years no one was murdered in the small town. And they went for years when there were no robberies or vandalism or assaults or anything else that would be listed on a police blotter. There are places like that and I suggest we find one. Like to go back to Earth or would you like to pick another planet?”
“Earth. It has the best golf courses.”
“How true. It also has baseball. A virtual paradise.”
“However, you may have one last minor mission before we tee off back on the home planet.”
“What’s that?”
“You need to listen to a request by Lynneorn. There is something she wants us to do. I’m not going to tell you what it is because this should come from her. And to grant the request, the decision would have to be made by you. The request is… unusual to say the least. Before you hear it I must remind you that Lynneorn is a very moral creation.”
I nodded. “Is now a good time?”
“Yes. Lynneorn, are you listening?”
“Yes.”
“Would you explain to Logan what you requested of me?”
“Major Ryvenbark, when we arrive at the Sherman and you rejoin your friends I would like to request that, before the ship leaves orbit, you destroy this station. I do not make this request lightly. I am not allowed nor do I have the materials needed to self-destruct. So I must make this request of you.”
My first response was a cough. Something was stuck in my throat. I coughed again and then reached opened a drawer and grabbed the bottle of whisky that had been saved from all the prior chaos. I poured a drink and took a swallow.
“That is an unusual request. I’d like to ask why you would make it. You’re asking us to, in effect, kill you.”
“Yes, because I have killed. I felt I had no choice but nevertheless I took the lives of the Bellicons who were on this station.”
Lynneorn was an AI and AIs are not prone to emotions. There’s still a debate in some scientific robotic circles whether or not AIs have emotions. But her voice was not steady or firm. It seemed to me there was a gentleness and a sadness in her tone. A melancholy that AIs are not supposed to show.
