He dragged the steps across to the core building then climbed the steps. Putting all the force he could into the jump, he reached up, his fingers locked round the edge of the roof. The suit servos strained as he pulled himself onto the roof. He checked his air supply. Forty-five minutes left. His activity was using the air too fast.
With a deep breath, he walked to the centre of the roof. His chest tightened. What if they had moved the hatch, what if there were no access and they relied on the matter transfer system? His boot caught the hatch rim. Thank God, I almost missed it. He located the release mechanism and lifted the hatch to reveal a ladder leading down into the gloom of the computer core. He slid down the ladder, landing at the bottom with a clunk. Conduits were everywhere, making it a tight fit for him in his suit. A small service corridor ran to the left and right. In front of him was a door with the words, ‘Core. Authorised Access Only’ in Lantian script.
Tristan released the catches and stepped in. He gasped; in the soft red glow of equipment and consoles a clear coffin-shaped container stood in the middle of the room, cables and tubes leading to it. He walked to the container. “Oh bloody hell!” He stared for a moment unblinking. A young woman lay on her back in some sort of off-white liquid. On the front of the container were two lines of text: ‘Cassiopeia. Stasis Chamber Mk5’. “For fuck sake! They’re not AIs at all! They are real women!”
He touched the container. Her presence tingled faintly in his mind. She was still alive. Tristan held his breath and probed the faint consciousness. He came up against an unbreakable block. It was preventing access to the part of her mind which identified her as a person. He probed deeper, a weaker block preventing emotions. Tristan thought of Dionysia, then the other unemotional machine like AIs. Without thought, he weakened the emotion block. As soon as he had done it, he regretted it. Stupid idiot! What did you do that for? He berated himself. What if I have caused her to fail?
His air supply alarm started blinking at him, demanding his attention. With his awful discovery, he had forgotten his air was running out faster than it should have been. He had less than fifteen minutes left. He sent the boot command to her mind. No change. She is still alive so whats wrong? He walked round the container. As he passed a cable from one of the consoles, it fell from its socket. He reached over, reinserted and locked the connector. Maybe that has always been loose. His air warning light now on a constant red informed him only ten minutes air remaining.
He sent another boot command to the woman lying in the container. This time the red glow of the instruments changed to yellow, then started to flash green. Tristan knew he had to get out of the core as the AI was prevented from gaining access to her own core. Now, he knew why. A terrible secret he must keep to himself forever. If the AIs knew they were real people trapped forever, how would that affect them? “Probably why the block was so strong” Perhaps I should not have tampered with the emotion block. He shrugged. “Too late now.”
He turned and left the room, sealing the door after him. The systems were booting up. He climbed the steps, then stepped out onto the roof of the core. His air supply read three minutes. He jumped from the roof onto the step ladder. He reached the bottom step and sat down. One minute remaining. Hurry, Cassiopeia. A few more breaths then nothing. His lungs started to burn. Blackness engulfed him.
Chapter Twenty Two: The Weapon.
Guardian, how are you?
“Um, I don’t know,” Tristan replied. He opened his eyes and groaned as a thousand hammers were beating a throbbing rhythm inside his head. Squinting against the light, he sat up. He blinked as his vision cleared, and a young woman sat on a chair opposite him. She smiled.
“I found you unconscious outside my core building. I feared I might have been too late.” She stood and held out an arm to help him up. He wobbled for few moments before his balance returned. She stood back and smiled again. “My name is Cassiopeia, what’s yours, Guardian?”
“Tristan.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Tristan,” she continued.
Tristan smiled back. “Not half as pleased as I am to meet you, Cassiopeia. I thought my time had run out.”
Cassiopeia nodded, “What’s your mission Guardian?”
“Have you contacted the other AIs yet?” Tristan asked.
“No, I was waiting for you to wake. I didn’t want to do anything until I knew what you were doing here.”
“Please contact them; they will update you quicker than I can.”
Cassiopeia nodded. Some moments later she turned back to Tristan. “You really took a chance coming here, I might not have been recoverable and you would have died.”
“You were recoverable, so all is well.” Tristan smiled at her, and thought of the secret in the core. She was an attractive young girl who would have had her whole life in front of her if she had not been trapped in this machine. Had she volunteered or been coerced? He would never know. The barrier set in her mind to prevent access to who she had been was too strong. As soon as the memory of the core crossed his mind, he blocked it off. He could never take the chance of the AIs sensing what he knew.
“Aesia and Tristain are on their way; I will prepare for them.” The room shimmered, and within a heartbeat was identical to the lounge in Dionysia’s bunker. “It will be at least an hour before they arrive.” Cassiopeia continued, “Dionysia did not want to put too much strain on a small child, so they were having a stopover for a few minutes on each leg to allow her to recover.”
While they waited, Cassiopeia told him she shut herself down sometime after the last Guardian had visited her. Some of her sisters had shut themselves down before her, because without Guardians they could do little or nothing to maintain stability on their planets. She had watched the start of the decline as different species got into petty wars with one another. She had hoped it would get no worse and that overall peace would prevail. She paused and looked sideways at Tristan. “My sisters seem different somehow.”
“What do you mean, different?” Tristan asked.
“Well, except for Dionysia, they seem wooden; almost empty. They had no idea about the welfare of the child, for instance. It’s strange, I don’t remember noticing that before.” She paused for a moment. “I’m also using inflections in my speech much the same as Dionysia. My other sisters do not… Don’t.” She giggled then put her hand over her mouth, surprise in her eyes.
A worried frown flashed across Tristan’s brow, but he just replied, “Hmm…maybe the length of time you were shut down took a toll on your memory.”
“Well, I ran a diagnostic and couldn’t find anything. Still, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
Aesia suddenly appeared with Tristain in her arms. She put Tristain down, and the child ran to Tristan to be picked up. “Daddy, that was really exciting, there were so many ladies.”
Aesia glanced around the room, nodded to Cassiopeia, and turned to Tristan. “I feared I would never see you again.”
Tristan took her hand and squeezed it. “Well, it was touch and go for a while, but Cassiopeia is now functioning.”
Cassiopeia stood. “Do you want to rest and have something to eat before you start? I have found the fleet with my long-range sensors. They are in normal space and moving slowly in an effort to prevent detection. They would not be detectable by normal sensors, but they were obviously unprepared for me,” she smiled. “At the rate they are travelling, they will not be any threat to Mylia for at least another 24 hours.”
“Yes we should rest,” Aesia replied. “And I need Tristain to have a few hours sleep before we go.” Cassiopeia produced a table of food for them, and they sat and ate together.
Cassiopeia sat with them. She looked at Aesia. “You are a Sicceian. How did you find a Guardian, especially when they have supposedly been extinct for aeons?”
“God, that makes me feel like a dinosaur,” Tristan laughed. Both women looked at him. “A what?”
“Oh nothing,” Tristan replied. “It doesn’t matter.”
Aesia turned to Cassiopeia. “I will tell you later when Tristain is asleep.”
The two women exchanged a knowing look. Tristan rolled his eyes “OK. I know it’s not every day an extinct creature is brought back from the dead!”
Tristain yawned. Aesia stroked her cheek and turned to Tristan. “You can put her to bed and tell her a story while I chat with Cassiopeia.”
Before he had finished the story, Tristain was asleep. He kissed her forehead and walked back to the lounge to find Aesia telling Cassiopeia how they met.
When she had finished, Cassiopeia sighed. “It is a pity you don’t have the coordinates of Tristan’s planet. It would be advantageous to us all to reinstate the Guardians.”
“We will have to see what happens after this war is over,” Tristan remarked.
Cassiopeia shrugged. “Well it’s getting late, so I will leave you in peace to rest or whatever.” She giggled and winked at Aesia.
“Goodnight.” With that, she disappeared. Aesia snuggled into Tristan’s arms. With her head resting on his shoulder, Tristan idly stroked her fine silky hair. Without warning she sat up and turned to him.
“Tristan, Cassiopeia is the same as Dionysia. She is not like the other number crunchers, is she?”
“No,” Tristan replied.
Aesia’s eyes bored into his.“Tristan, you did something, didn’t you?” Tristan shrugged. He felt the soft questioning touch of her mind. She felt the barrier he had placed over the memory of what he had seen. She sensed the horror of what was there, something that had shaken him. She squeezed him hard. “I’m sorry. Let’s go to bed. It has been a long day, and we may have a longer one tomorrow.”
They were woken by their bed being bounced on. Tristan pulled the sheets over his head. “Come on, Daddy, time to go!” The bouncing got faster.
Tristan groaned. “Pest.” He heard Aesia laugh at his remark.
“Come on, come on, come on!” Tristan sung in time with her bounces.
“OK, I’m getting up.” Tristan stood up, walked to the bathroom. Once they were dressed, Cassiopeia led them down to the hangar into the nearest of the black ships. The controls were the same as modern Sicceian ships, with only minor differences.
“Are you OK with flying this Aesia?” Cassiopeia asked
“Yes there should be no problem.”
“The one important thing to remember is you have to start the engines in free fall, so there is no room for error,” Cassiopeia continued. Once you are in position, it requires only one ship to activate the weapon field. Any living thing that moves through the field is instantly destroyed. The field is the area within the triangle made up of the planet and the two ships. Normally, the planet is the only fixed point. But in this case, there will be two fixed points.” Cassiopeia glanced at Aesia and Tristain. “Tristan’s ship will have to manoeuvre to ensure the field touches the whole fleet. Because of the power required by the field generators, these ships have no conventional weapons, so you have to stay out of range of the enemy and not get caught, as they are not particularly fast either.”
Tristan turned to Aesia. “There is an asteroid belt that cuts through the orbit of the fourth planet in this solar system. If you hide on the edge of it and keep power to a minimum, you should be safe from detection.”
Tristan had noticed when they entered the craft that the main console lit up. “I’m going to walk over to the other ship. We need to see whether Tristain’s presence is sufficient to keep this ship activated.” Aesia nodded.
As Tristan left the craft, Aesia watched the console. The ship remained active. “Tristain, go and find your daddy,” she asked. The child jumped up from where she was sitting on the deck and ran out of the craft after her father. When she left through the door, the console deactivated.
“I think that is conclusive, Cassiopeia, don’t you?”
“Yes, Aesia, I don’t think you will have any issue. I can sense she is a true child of a Guardian.” Aesia felt slightly irritated since she was her child as well; however, she let it pass.
“Cassiopeia, can you please fit a small seat for Tristain? I will need a pressure suit for her as well.”
“Of course, Aesia, I will have it ready for you shortly.”
The main console returned to life as Tristan entered with Tristain holding tightly onto his hand. “There is one thing you must remember,” Cassiopeia continued, once Tristan had entered the ship. “I can pull Tristan and Tristain out if there is a problem, but unless you are holding Tristain, I cannot do anything for you, Aesia, You don’t possess the genetic marker I need for my system to work.”
Aesia nodded. “If anything goes wrong, pull Tristain out immediately, Cassiopeia.”
“If anything does start to go wrong, you get hold of Tristain and make sure you stay with her,” Tristan insisted.
Aesia looked sideways at him. “I will, don’t worry.”
“It is time to leave and get into position,” Cassiopeia informed them. Tristan gave Aesia and his daughter a hug before he left for the other craft.
Cassiopeia had installed the additional seat as Aesia had requested and produced a pressure suit small enough for Tristain. Once they were all strapped in, she started the transport sequence. Both black ships disappeared from her hangar. Tristan felt the usual lurch and he could suddenly see the stars through the cockpit glass. The other ship with Aesia and Tristain appeared off to his left. He punched the engine start and waited for the sequence to commence. While the indicators counted down to the engine fire, he watched the other ship. Almost simultaneously with his, the other ship’s engines fired up.
He had been holding his breath while he watched Aesia’s ship. He let out a sigh of relief. Right, let’s go. They both moved off. Aesia headed for the asteroid belt on the far side of the Sicceian fleet. Tristan headed for the other side of the fleet just below them. He made up the third point of the triangle. He would swing his ship up and over the fleet, folding the triangular field over them.
After a four-hour flight, Tristan was in position. He sent a thought to Aesia using Cassiopeia to amplify it: Are you in position yet?
I will be, in about five minutes, she replied.
Tristan checked the position of the fleet. They would be in range within about fifteen minutes at their present speed. Right, Cassiopeia, please open communications to all their ships.
She acknowledged his request. You will be heard and seen by all of them as soon as you give the word.
Tristan collected his thoughts. OK, now, Cassiopeia. Tristan looked into the distance. “This is Admiral Clayandrian to the Sicceian Fleet. The Sicceian government has agreed to peace talks with the League. Your mission is now illegal and has no meaning, please turn round and return to Sicceia.
Anything, Cassiopeia?
No, Tristan.
Right, open the channel again please.
“Sicceian Fleet,” Tristan continued. “We are now at peace. The war is over. If you turn back now, you will not be harmed. You are free to return to Sicceia.”
Cassiopeia?
Again, there is no response.
Are they receiving the transmission, Cassiopeia?
Yes, I am projecting you via their communications arrays so you’re being seen on the bridge of every ship
“Shit,” Tristan swore under his breath and frowned.
One last try.
“Unless you turn now, you leave me no choice but to destroy you.”
Cassiopeia cut the transmission.
Tristan sighed. They aren’t turning are they?
No, I’m sorry, Tristan.
Tristan shook his head. They gave him no choice but to power up the weapon. Are you in position, Aesia?
Yes, Tristan I’m close to several large asteroids, their sensors won’t pick me up among them. Tristain is asleep so she won’t know what is going on.
Right, I’m powering up the field.
He set the interlocks and started the power up sequence for the weapon. The m
onitors on his ship displayed the condition of the field. After a couple of minutes, the field became stable.
With the field at full strength, the ship’s sensors were of limited use and he had to rely on his connection to Cassiopeia. She projected her sensor information directly to him telepathically. The fleet was now slightly below and in front of him.
Shortly after the field generators started up a couple of fighters had been dispatched towards him to investigate. He would have to disable their computer systems before they got too close. He concentrated on them, but he could not access any of their control systems. “Damn even the fighters had been stripped of telepathic interfaces.”
Tristan checked the weapon field and thought, Shit! I have to move quickly as the fighters will be on me in a couple of minutes. He raised his ship up and across so that the field would fold over the Sicceian fleet. The first thing that touched the field was the two fighters heading towards him. The molecular bonds in the cells of the pilot’s bodies lost their cohesion as they passed throughout the field. The two fighters started to drift out of control. He continued to bring his ship over the fleet.
In less than five minutes, the rest of fleet had suffered the same fate as the two fighters. He swallowed, fighting back the nausea. The ships remained in perfect condition, just drifting without one living creature on any of them. Not one of the ships had attempted contact, surrendered, or turned to flee. The whole lot were gone.
There was no sense of victory, no elation, only a heavy sadness. Tristan gulped back the bile rising in his throat as he shut down the field. He drifted for a while in silence, unwilling to communicate with Cassiopeia or Aesia. He ran his hands over his short cropped hair then reached for the controls to bring the ship round to meet Aesia on the return journey. He had just finished the manoeuvre when his mind was filled by an urgent mental shout: Daddy, something is wrong! Mummy can’t hold the ship! Bad men are coming. Help Daddy…Oh!
Tristan’s mind raced. Tristain, can you hear me? He got no reply. He took a deep breath to hold back the panic tightening round his chest. Cassiopeia, can you get them out of there?
Guardian Awakening Page 25
