Swarm

by B. V. Larson

  “Approximately six minutes. Warning: the preceding was a coerced estimate, and may or not be accurate.”

  “There, there, Alamo,” I said, patting one of the walls as if soothing an excited pet. “I know how much you hate giving estimates. You are doing fine.”

  I climbed back through the ship to the bridge. I left instructions for the ship to deliver the weapon system to me when it was finished manufacturing it.

  When I got back to the bridge, Sandra grilled me. I explained what I had been up to. She told me she’d never seen that machine.

  “I don’t think the Alamo really wants us to see it. I only figured out its existence by deduction. In centuries past, when ships traveled across the oceans, they had to take everything with them to rebuild the ship from scratch if necessary.”

  “Why?”

  “Often, the ship would be damaged. It would leave the crew stranded on some island or a beach along the jungle-covered mainland. There was no one to help, no one to come rescue them. Back then, there wasn’t even any good communication technology like a radio to call for help. The crew had to be able to repair anything and everything, or they could die.”

  “So you figured this ship must have the same capacity?”

  “I thought it was likely to, yes. If they can rebuild our bodies, rebuilding an engine shouldn’t be too hard.”

  She nodded slowly. “What can we do with it?”

  “If I’m right, then it will be answer to everything,” I told her.

  It was the next morning before the ship finally reached through the walls to hand us the item it had labored over. I stopped eating a bowl of cereal—still my breakfast of choice despite having a world of foodstuffs to choose from. I looked over the object the ship had delivered. It had taken longer than I had expected, but I was impressed with the final result. It looked like a fancy pen, but was the size of a watchman’s flashlight. It had a crystalline tip that I suspected wasn’t full of ink.

  I couldn’t find any way to fire it, however. It had no trigger.

  “Alamo, how do you shoot this thing?”

  “Question too vague to generate a response.”

  “I mean, I wish to fire this device. Give me instructions to do so.”

  “Connect the device to a power supply. Direct the tip toward the target. Turn on the power supply.”

  I nodded, suddenly understanding. I’d asked the ship to make me a miniature version of its own guns. There were no triggers or battery packs on its own lasers. They were attached to the ship itself and they fired when energy was switched on. I might as well hold a light bulb in my hand and ask why it wasn’t shining.

  Still, I thought that for my purposes it would do the trick. It was my bargaining chip. I held it in my lap and decided it was time to contact Senator Kim Bager.

  Using Pierre’s tiny portable computer, I logged in and connected to a server. Someone down there on Earth must have had the joyous job of monitoring the server around the clock. I was immediately hailed. I hesitated, then joined a private chat room to talk to them. I was glad Pierre had set his system to remember all his passwords. I had no idea what they were, and I didn’t have to figure them out.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Pierre?” said a voice.

  I nodded to myself. Could it be that they didn’t even know he was dead? Or were they going to play dumb?

  “You know this isn’t Pierre,” I said.

  “Who am I speaking to?”

  “This is Commander Riggs.”

  “You are a commander of the alien ships?”

  “Of Star Force, yes. Connect me to Senator Kim Bager, please.”

  That threw him for a second. “I’ll connect you to my superiors, sir.”

  It took a few more intermediaries and about a half-hour of fooling around, but I eventually got through to the Senator. My first direct communications with Bager were awkward, to say the least. I decided not to go easy on her.

  “Senator,” I said sternly, “I’m sorry that Ambassador Pierre Gaspard is not able to continue meeting with you.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry to hear—”

  “He was killed, unfortunately, by your government’s assassins. I’m sure you have been briefed, as you arranged the meeting yourself.”

  “Ah—what? He’s been killed?”

  “Indeed madam. Your assassin was successful. I was forced to personally deal with her myself.”

  “Her?”

  “The assassin, madam,” I said.

  I glanced over at Sandra, who seemed to be enjoying the Senator’s obvious discomfort.

  “First of all, Commander Riggs, let me assure you that I knew nothing of this—”

  “Of course not, madam Senator,” I snapped in a tone that indicated I didn’t believe her.

  Her voice changed, and I sensed great tension in it. She spoke deliberately, however. “You have to understand, Commander, our government has been put under a tremendous strain. Not everyone is on the same page. We can’t protect our citizens. Your ships kill thousands every day.”

  For the first moment, I hesitated. I had been about to grill her further, to accuse her of doing everything but pull the trigger herself. But her words stopped me. They weren’t our ships doing the killing, but from their point of view, it would look that way. All of our ships looked the same to them. How did they know which ones we were in control of and which ones were still unmanned? Some of us stole things, probably people as well. Half the ships roamed the Earth testing and discarding people like chaff. There was plenty of death and hatred to go around for everyone.

  “The ships who are still testing people are not under our control. They are not our ships. We are not the aliens, we are just citizens of the world who’ve been caught up in all this. Just like everyone else.”

  “Not quite like everyone else. Can you understand how people down here might be frustrated? How—certain factions might arise and get ideas?”

  “All right, Senator Bager,” I said. “I suppose it is plausible that Esmeralda was just a lone gunman. A fighter, I believe the new colloquial term is.”

  “Esmeralda?” she asked.

  “The assassin’s name, Senator.”

  “You know her name?”

  “Yes, she spoke to me in her final moments.”

  A span of silence followed. The Senator had to push a button to transmit, and she wasn’t pushing it now. I wondered what kind of frenzy was going on at the other end. I was certain that the Senator was not alone. She probably had a number of people circling her, taking notes, offering suggestions. The fact that I had spoken with their assassin, learned her true name, and killed her personally must not be welcome news. They would have recovered the body by now and could verify at least some of my story.

  I thought about what Crow had said about achieving independence. No political group was allowed to do so unless it was strong enough to fight for its freedom. That lesson was everywhere in history, and it seemed like we were repeating it now. Beating their assassin and getting information out of her had to impress them.

  “Commander Riggs,” said the Senator in a cautious voice. “We have to work together for the good of humanity. How do we start again?”

  “First of all, we will agree to a cover story that will save face for both sides. I suggest we spin it in this manner: A government agent aspired to take over one of our ships independently. She heard Pierre’s ship would be an easy mark, and she took it upon herself to go rogue.”

  “That is my government’s position,” said the Senator, “because it is the truth.”

  “Of course it is,” I said. “We will not break off diplomatic relations, despite the extreme provocation. But you must understand that trust must be rebuilt, and our security measures will be extreme from now on. In the future, we will only take aboard well-known, elected public officials for face-to-face meetings. No assistants, bodyguards or equipment bigger than a ballpoint pen will be coming with you.”

  “With me?”r />
  “Yes. Naturally Senator, I was hoping you would volunteer. I have something I very much want to show you. A piece of alien technology that might win the ground war with the Macros.”

  She hesitated. “Does it have to be me?”

  “I’m not a murderer, Kim,” I said gently. “Esmeralda attacked me first.”

  Another hesitation. “I’ll come aboard. I’ve read your profile six times. You don’t seem like a typical killer, Commander Riggs. I’m hoping you haven’t changed.”

  We set a time. We would have lunch together. I would provide the food.

  -21-

  Alliances are always forged in the fires of necessity, rather than poured from the sweet wine of love. I recalled having read that quote somewhere and it seemed particularly apt today.

  The truth was when I first met with Senator Bager, face-to-face, neither of us was terribly happy about the situation. I considered her an accomplice in the assassination of a man who had been a comrade in battle if not exactly a friend. We had fought together and somehow, when you fight alongside another man in deadly combat, you are forever connected with them at a primal level. Pushing all that aside for diplomatic purposes involved a level of emotional control and detachment I was unaccustomed to dealing with.

  “Senator, welcome aboard my ship,” I said.

  Bager looked at my proffered hand apprehensively. After taking the ride up via the ship’s long, black arm, people were never in a happy mood. I suppose my appearance had something to do with it. I’d thought about rigging up an eye-patch, because my left eye was still—odd-looking. The nanites hadn’t finished their repairs upon my body in that spot yet. But Sandra had rejected the idea, pointing out that I would truly resemble a pirate if I started wearing an eye-patch. So, I’d opted for a pair of sunglasses.

  Bager finally seemed to take a breath, stepped forward and took my hand. I shook it with every ounce of gentleness I could muster. It wouldn’t do to accidentally rip the arm off the Senator upon meeting her. I could see what she was thinking as we touched. Her lips smiled, but her brow was frowning. She was talking to a reputed killer of government agents who wore sunglasses in dimly lit rooms and who barely moved a muscle while shaking hands.

  “Thank you—Commander Riggs?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  Sandra made an appearance then, popping in through a door that wasn’t there a second ago. The opening vanished behind her just as quickly as it appeared.

  Senator Bager looked at Sandra and the surroundings. “This is quite different than Pierre’s ship.”

  “Structurally, it is identical,” I said, “but I’ve furnished it in a manner that’s more natural to me.”

  “I see,” she said, eyeing Sandra.

  Sandra didn’t like Bager. She had told me as much quite clearly before this meeting began. I’d told her she could wait in her room, if she liked. I hadn’t held out much hope that she would do as I asked. She stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a wall now. She hadn’t said a word. She wasn’t exactly glaring at the Senator. It was more of what I would call a flat stare.

  “Senator, would you like a refreshment? We have a large variety of drinks. Pretty much anything that comes out of a can.”

  “Oh, certainly,” said Senator Bager, throwing a smile and blinking at Sandra.

  “This is Sandra, a companion of mine,” I said, gesturing to both the women hopefully.

  “Nice to meet you, Sandra,” said the Senator.

  Sandra continued with the arms-crossed staring.

  “Maybe you could get us all a drink, Sandra?” I asked. She slid her eyes over to me, then back again to fixate upon the Senator.

  “Never mind,” I said, “I’ve got something right here. Have a seat, Senator.”

  “Call me Kim,” she answered, seating herself on the far end of the couch. She had taken the spot as far away from Sandra as it was possible to be on my bridge.

  I dug out the cans and carried them to the coffee table. The cans were warm, but I didn’t want to leave these two women alone long enough to get ice.

  My coffee table caught the Senator’s attention. It was dramatically different than Pierre’s. Instead of teak and gold, it was really a computer system, one of those multitouch jobs we’d picked up while foraging for equipment. We used it to work on the web.

  “I’ve never worked on one of these,” she said, tapping at it.

  “Here, you can pull up a browser like this,” I said, showing her the finger motions.

  She mimicked me and made appreciative sounds at the results. “I need to get one of these for office conferences.”

  I sat down across from her. The bluish light of the tabletop computer between us lit up our faces with a soft blue glow. “Senator, let’s get down to business.”

  She nodded. “You said you had something to show me?”

  I smiled at her. It was hard, but I did it. She gave me a shaky flash of her teeth in return. I wondered if she believed I was about to kill her. Perhaps she suspected that my surprise was going to be violent in nature. Certainly, my odd appearance and Sandra’s hostile attitude wasn’t putting her at ease.

  I pulled out the laser unit the ship had fabricated and placed it gently on the glowing surface of the computer between us. The tabletop computer was set to notice objects and react to them while idle. It made rippling, glowing waves pulsate away from the laser, as if it had been placed into a pool of virtual water.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a miniature version of one of the lasers that arm this ship.”

  She looked at me, flicking her eyes to my face. “Why are you showing it to me?”

  “I’m not showing it to you. I’m giving it to you.”

  “Alien technology?”

  “Yes, alien weaponry. It’s not terribly exotic, but it is better than anything we can make yet. I think that if we manufactured enough of these and we had power-packs for troops—I think these things can damage the Macros more than we’ve done with mere explosives.”

  “On behalf of my government, I thank you for this gift. I must say, I expected to hear a list of demands and recriminations, not receive an invaluable gift.”

  “I’m happy to surprise you, Senator. My purpose is to demonstrate we are an organization that does more than raid the planet. I would urge you to make this gift public.”

  “For PR purposes.”

  “Correct.”

  “Could you do something for me, Commander Riggs?”

  “Name it.”

  “Would you show me what’s behind those sunglasses?”

  I looked at her for a moment. While we stared at each other, Sandra slid from the wall she’d been leaning against. She’d stood there quietly throughout the conversation. She sat in my easy chair now. She still had her arms crossed, but she looked faintly pleased. I suspected she wanted a better view of the shock on the Senator’s face when I revealed my face.

  “Are you sure you want that, Senator?”

  “I’m old-fashioned. It’s hard for me to deal with someone whose eyes I can’t see.”

  Sandra laughed at that. Senator Bager flashed her an odd look, then went back to staring at me.

  I sighed quietly and removed my sunglasses. Part of my eyelid had regrown, and I was able to close that bizarre left eye. Not completely, however. It still showed a very odd slit of silvery-purple madness.

  The Senator sucked in her breath. “Did our agent do that?”

  “Yes,” I said, replacing my sunglasses. “I’m afraid so.”

  “I would like to personally apologize for that ugly incident, Commander. Let me assure you, there won’t be any repeat of that sort of action.”

  “That’s good to hear, Senator.”

  “Please, call me Kim. And let me reassure you, that I had nothing to do with that misguided decision.”

  “I understand you, Senator,” I said. And I did understand her. But I didn’t believe her.

  “Is there anything else
besides this artifact you’d like to show or tell me?”

  “Yes,” I said, “I want you to study that thing. Tell me what kind of power it requires, what voltage, amperage, etc. I want to create a portable power supply for it. Then I want to manufacture thousands of these weapons. An army equipped with these units can fight the Macros on much better terms.”

  She tilted her head, as if in disbelief. “How can you make thousands?”

  “Each of our ships has self-repair and fabrication capabilities. Given enough of the right raw materials, every one of the Nano ships can produce those weapons, quickly.”

  “What do you want from us in return?”

  “Besides a treaty outlining an alliance, we want peace and respect. And one more big thing.”

  “Name it.”

  “A base of operations. A home for supply, personnel recruitment, etc. And a budget, of course, to purchase our requirements. We have to end our raiding. It’s not good for PR.”

  Senator Bager looked down at the tabletop computer, eyeing the laser unit, which still sat there untouched. She was thinking hard.

  “A sovereign territory? Where?”

  I threw up my hands. “Legally, I think it would be something like an embassy or the UN building. As far as where to put it, how about on a tract of Federal land in the Midwest? Or probably better, an island base no one really needs?”

  She nodded. “If we need to bring you mass supplies, an island with a port would work best. I’ll look into it. You realize, I don’t have the authority to grant you any of this. I have to talk to the administration.”

  “Of course.”

  “One more question from my side. Why did you choose me? Why did you insist that I come here?”

  “We know you. It would be hard to send a double who was really an assassin. Also, because I wanted to change your mind about us. I wanted you to see you made a mistake, that you need to work with us, not try to coerce us.”

  She nodded slowly. “Okay Commander. Do you have any more questions from your side?”

  “Yes. You are on the Foreign Relations Committee. I want to know the inside story on the ground war in Argentina. I’ve seen the propaganda, and hysterical internet claims. Both contradict one another. How is the war really going down there?”