Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  “Angela,” Kelsey warned.

  “I’m sorry, Highness, but that’s madness. Not even you could survive a crash at that speed, armored or not. You’re tough, not invincible.”

  The marine focused her attention on Carl. He shrank back a little at her intense expression. “Princess Kelsey told me I had to let her do the ass chewing, but I’m putting you on notice. If your antics hurt her, I’ll hurt you. Am I clear?”

  “Angela!” Kelsey said as she surged to her feet. “I think you’ve said enough. Perhaps you should wait for me on my pinnace.”

  The marine gave him one last, hard look before she bowed her head toward Kelsey. “Perhaps I should, Highness. My apologies to you.”

  The large woman stalked to the hatch and spoke briefly with the marine there before she left.

  Carl noticed that she hadn’t taken back any of what she’d said. If something went wrong, the woman could break him in half.

  Kelsey sighed and resumed her seat. “I’m sorry about that. She’s a bit overprotective. She means well.”

  “I don’t disagree with anything she said.” He rubbed his face. “I don’t usually build things that have the potential to kill. Not so easily, anyhow. I need to keep that fact firmly in mind.”

  He’d test this hammer to levels that combat equipment would envy. He’d die before he allowed it to hurt his friend.

  “As for the flying,” he said, “the grav drive and battle screen keep you protected. I’ll obviously need to test it very, very thoroughly before there are human trials.

  “A collision would hurt, but the battle screen would absorb most of the kinetic energy and deflect all the debris away from you. You could fly through a pinnace, but I’d recommend you wear armor. Something still might bounce back. If you somehow became separated from the hammer, it will come back by the shortest route unless you’ve ordered it elsewhere.”

  She nodded slowly. “How could I do that? My implants have the same 15-meter limit as everyone else’s. The armor boosts it to several hundred, but that’s pretty short for something like this.”

  “I designed and built an extended range communications implant. I’ve tested it out to ten kilometers. The hammer has the same range, but can track the user from even further away.”

  “Like with a beacon?” she asked. “That’s a bad thing in combat. You don’t want your enemies to be able to track you.”

  “Actually, it’s nothing like a beacon. It uses aspects of quantum mechanics to track the wielder. There are no detectable signals at all. In any case, I had Doctor Stone put the matching unit inside me. It works great at the ranges I’ve tried. I’ll narrow down the maximum useful range before I turn the final version over to you.”

  He held up his hand and the hammer flew from the table into it with a slight singing sound. “Just like in the vids.”

  “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor,” she said. “Or, I suppose ‘she,’ if this was intended for me.”

  “It seemed easier to go gender neutral,” he said. “Unlike a magic hammer, I can’t change the inscription on a whim. So, I went with ‘they.’ It seemed simpler.”

  “You even put the inscription on it? Damned impressive, Carl. Damned impressive. Still, you’re going to need to convince a very skeptical audience before I try it, though.”

  Carl set the hammer down beside him. “Whatever it takes.”

  She smiled. “I’m glad you’re being so understanding. I want you to work with Major Ellis. She’s going to vet every aspect of this hammer before I accept it.”

  He felt his mouth drop open. “Seriously? The woman hates me. You’ll never get it if that’s the bar I have to meet.”

  Kelsey stood, her expression sympathetic. “I understand, but that’s the way it is. And I’m fairly certain she doesn’t actually hate you. She’d give her life to protect me and I won’t dismiss her concerns. Even when expressed in such an abrupt manner. Sometimes you have to overcome tremendous obstacles to get what you want.”

  “She’s not an obstacle, she’s a mountain. With wild animals ready to rip me apart.”

  She headed for the door. “I’ll be rooting for you. As I said, I’d really like to have something like Mjölnir. Are you up to making that happen? I hope so. Good luck.”

  Carl sat there long after she’d left, trying to imagine how he could please the impossible woman. No scenario he envisioned worked.

  He was doomed.

  Chapter Five

  Elise sat up when Doctor Lily Stone lifted the headset off her temples. “Everything good?”

  Stone nodded. “The update went smoothly and the hardware replacement checks out, too. Congratulations, Your Highness. You’re no longer hackable by the Pale Ones or the Rebel Empire AIs.”

  She hopped off the examination table. “I can’t begin to tell you how good that makes me feel, Doctor. My people have a cultural fear of forced reprogramming that you newcomers just don’t understand. Being immune to having these implants suborned is a huge relief to me.”

  “I saw what those things put Kelsey through. And the poor bastards on Erorsi. They’ll need modifications, too.”

  “Won’t that be fun?”

  Elise could hardly imagine how difficult it was going to be to track down every single Pale One on Erorsi. Especially now that the planet was going through such a brutal and semi-permanent winter. The asteroid impact had thrown enough debris into the atmosphere to obscure the sun and living was tough.

  Current estimates put the timeframe before the weather patterns returned to some semblance of normal at fifteen to twenty years. Even then, the long cold streak was going to alter things permanently. Many species were going to die. The biosphere was going to change, and not for the better.

  At least they didn’t have to obey the mad AI anymore.

  Perhaps that was how they’d get them fixed. They could use the equipment the AI had used to control the Pale Ones to summon them to a central area and sedate them. Part of her cringed at forcing them to obey, but this would be the last time. Then they’d be free forever.

  “Could you explain again what changed in the hardware?” she asked as Stone walked her to the door.

  “Certainly. We replaced the central node in your implants with a new model designed by the folks at the Grant Research Facility. This one is not subject to external overwriting without the person’s consent and active cooperation, and it includes a number of performance improvements thanks to other research they’ve done over the centuries. They tell me the performance is even faster, but it already seems like lightning to me.

  “The core kernel’s programming is now hardwired. A sentry subroutine will monitor the implants for aberrant behavior and overwrite any new code. Or if the user tells it to.”

  “That’s reassuring. So, no more people under the control of their hardware?”

  Stone nodded. “Precisely. Kelsey still has what she calls combat mode, but that’s not quite the same thing. Her implants control her body in combat, but she’s always in the driver’s seat.

  “Also, Carl Owlet put a nasty surprise in there for anyone that tries to overwrite the implant code. Your implants will hack a rogue unit that attacks you, taking control of it instead. I don’t know the details, but I understand the program is wickedly subtle. The AI won’t even know what’s happening until it’s too late.”

  Elise grinned. “Payback is a bitch. I assume it won’t work against a true AI.”

  “No,” Stone said. “They’re immune in much the same way you are. That’s where Carl got the idea. On the plus side, those things are rare. The odds you’ll ever run into one are pretty slim. Not counting Marcus and Harrison, of course.”

  “Why didn’t the Old Empire do this? It seems so straightforward.”

  Stone shrugged. “We may never know for sure, but Kelsey thinks that critical people were killed by whoever was behind the rebellion. Carl says that the old implants have something that is supposed to allow
only a restricted few to update the code. Something about private keys. Without them, the Old Empire was powerless.

  “We captured those keys when we rescued Princess Kelsey. With them, we can easily update the old hardware. The people at Grant have come up with new keys and we’ll make sure that trusted people in many places have a way to get it, but not have it taken from them. I don’t know the details and I’m happy with that.”

  Elise nodded. “And we’re sure they’re secure?”

  “They had Marcus try and hack someone. He failed. That works for me.”

  “Me, too.” Elise shook Stone’s hand. “Thank you, Doctor. When will everyone have this update?”

  “We’re focusing on your people now. The change is quick and your doctors can handle the process now that we’ve trained them. I figure all of the people in the task force heading to Pentagar will be done before they get home.

  “Commodore Meyer will have his people done in about the same timeframe. Then he’ll assist Coordinator West in getting Harrison’s World done.”

  Elise felt the corner of her mouth quirk up. “Those two have been working together pretty closely these last few months. I think their relationship might be changing from a purely professional one.”

  Stone raised an eyebrow. “You think? They seem pretty professional to me.”

  Elise waved her hand dismissively. “I have an eye for that kind of thing. He might not know it yet, but Coordinator West is interested in deepening their relationship. And she’s good at keeping her cards close to her vest.”

  Considering the woman had been running an underground movement for most of her life, conspiring against the AIs while infiltrating their puppet government, that was something of an understatement. Elise had played poker with her, Sean, Jared, Kelsey, and Talbot. That had been an eye-opening education. An expensive one, too.

  The woman didn’t have a single tell. Not one. Her bluffs were indistinguishable from the rest of her hands.

  Kelsey was by far the best player Elise had ever met, and she was outclassed. Worse, Elise was almost certain that Olivia West had thrown a number of hands to play down her advantage. And she’d still trounced them all.

  Elise had made a number of notes to improve her own skills in that arena. In fact, she’d gotten together with the coordinator several times and sat at the feet of the mistress. Those skills would serve her well as a stateswoman. Particularly now that she was on her way to the seat of the New Terran Empire.

  Based on everything she’d heard, and some of the things she hadn’t, there was going to be trouble. She’d need to work hard to turn that situation around before it bit them all in the behind.

  “I’m not saying that her intent will necessarily mean anything,” Elise added. “It takes two to dance, after all. It really depends on what Sean wants. What about the people in Jared’s task force?”

  Stone smiled. “We have a lot of people to work through, but we’ll be done before we reach Avalon. Keep an eye on things over the next few days. I don’t expect that you’ll have any issues, but if you do, call me at once.”

  “I will. Thank you, Lily.”

  Elise made her way to the ship’s library. With all the electronic books, most crewmembers never saw it, which was a shame. She’d found it amazing and fascinating. And that was before they’d put any books in it.

  Just the idea that a modern warship would have a two-level room of that size dedicated to the printed page was astounding to her.

  She’d lost no time sending a message home for books to fill it with. Word had spread to Coordinator West’s friend and mentor, Lord William Hawthorne. He’d found many tomes to add to the haul. Between the two of them, and the various finds in the graveyard, this library was now worthy of the name.

  In fact, Lord Hawthorne was the one she was coming here to meet. She found him standing beside a tall shelf with an old book in his hand. He wasn’t alone. Reginald Bell sat in a chair nearby, examining a portfolio of some kind.

  “Gentlemen,” she said as she came over. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”

  William Hawthorne slid the book back onto the shelf and bent low at the waist. “Elise. It’s a pleasure as always. May I say you look stunning?”

  “Flatterer. No need to rise on my account, Reg. Your knees aren’t as young as they used to be.”

  The older man gave up on standing and bowed his head. “Princess Elise. It’s good to see you again. The trip here was a trifle more tiring than I’d imagined. Though these new nanites are helping some.”

  Kelsey had Doctor Leonard remove some of her Marine Raider nanites and examine them. The little machines were markedly more advanced than the ones given to regular Fleet personnel, but the scientists could reprogram them to work in others.

  They’d need periodic replacement, but they might keep the old gentleman with them a few more decades. He had so much to tell them and so little time left to do it. They could harvest enough Raider nanites from her for that.

  Reginald Bell was the only person alive who’d seen the Empire before the Fall. Even his ancient appearance belied his true age. The Terran Empire had gone down fighting more than five centuries ago. That was far longer than even Fleet nanites could extend someone’s age.

  And that was a blessing. The poor people the AIs had enslaved during the Fall were all dead. God rest their souls.

  He’d spent more than two centuries in a stasis unit. Generations of men and women had watched over him as they were born, grew old, and finally passed on. They’d done so solely in the hope that, one day, his intimate knowledge of the Old Empire would once more prove valuable.

  Now that Jared and Kelsey had freed Erorsi from the thrall of the crazed AI, the people that had survived in the old planetary defense center could finally live their lives out in the open. And now they could save Reg’s knowledge of the Old Empire.

  That wasn’t to say that he hadn’t recorded a lot before he’d gone into stasis. Only, he hadn’t known what those outside would lose over the years. He’d stuck to large events, but current day anthropologists and historians wanted to know the minutia of his life. He spent hours every day telling stories and answering questions.

  He’d also decided to record him memories in the same way Ned had. It probably wouldn’t result in an AI of him after his death, but it would save the only direct memories of the Old Empire they had left. Other than Ned, of course.

  “We’ve just been amusing ourselves while we waited,” William said. “Please, join us.”

  She sat in the chair he held for her and waited for him to sit. Then she launched into her semi-prepared speech.

  “I appreciate you both taking the time to meet with me. Marcus is also in attendance, though the subroutine is not going to report our conversation to his main memory unless we decide that’s appropriate.”

  “What’s the old saying?” Marcus asked from a speaker under the table. “Four people can keep a secret if two of them are dead and one is an AI that isn’t talking to itself?”

  “I’m fairly sure that’s almost correct,” William said with a smile. “This is all suitably mysterious. What, if I might ask, can we help you with?”

  “Something very important,” she said. “Jared is going to need our assistance when he gets home. Crown Prince Ethan Bandar has a very real and very deadly grudge against him.”

  She leaned forward. “Jared is intensely loyal to the Empire and Kelsey has blinders on when it comes to family. That means it’s up to us to protect him. Ethan Bandar will try to kill Jared. I will not stand idly by and let that happen, and I want you to help me stop him.”

  * * * * *

  Kelsey sat in the command chair on Persephone. She’d been studying her ass off and now had what Jared charitably called an ensign’s skill set. She was hoping to bump that up to at least lieutenant by the time they got home.

  Ned said that was really all she needed for a ship this size. Yes, there were some specific skills required for oper
ating a Marine Raider reconnaissance ship, but he was helping her learn those.

  She’d never be as good at piloting as someone that started learning a decade ago. She’d be happy if she learned enough to be competent.

  That was why she had primary on the ship’s helm as they prepared to flip to the Nova system. Lieutenant Thompson would be watching her like a hawk from his console, though he’d never say so. She felt like a kid riding her bike for the very first time. The mental image of a powerful warship with training wheels almost made her laugh.

  “All Fleet elements, this is Admiral Mertz. Flip in sixty seconds and report to Invincible upon arrival. You all have your assigned sectors, so get about it. Remember, you’ll be out of direct communication once you move any distance at all into the radiation, so you’ll have to use your discretion on approaching anything anomalous.

  “Be careful and rendezvous at the Harrison’s World flip point in twenty-four hours. Good luck. Mertz out.”

  She took a deep breath as the timer counted down. She had the helm on manual, so this wasn’t just pushing a button. She was adjusting the power output and frequency of the flip drive by hand. If she got it wrong, the ship might not flip at all. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

  Thompson hadn’t said a word about her settings. She wasn’t sure if that was because she had them right or he wanted her to learn something. When the timer hit zero, she activated the flip drive.

  Thankfully, Persephone flipped.

  “Good settings, ma’am,” Jack said. “A trifle low, but within the margin of error. Watch out for Ajax.”

  “Thanks, Jack.”

  The destroyer in question had appeared just in front of them and was cutting across their bow. Kelsey adjusted course enough to be certain they’d miss one another. In the radiation field, it wasn’t easy to see everyone at a glance.

  She sent a message to Invincible and then eased the ship away from the flip point. Once they were clear, she headed off toward their assigned search area.

  “Doing this all by hand is complex,” she said. “It’s a lot simpler to have Persephone do the fine details.”