by Chris Hechtl
“I keep forgetting you aren't her. You sound like her,” Jack said roughly. “I'm a little too old to be gallivanting around the universe you know.”
“In this case I think it would be what she would want. She wouldn't want you three to fight so don't,” Athena urged.
“Age …”
“With age comes wisdom. And it just so happens, I am owed a few favors, as are you. So I can arrange a couple of those nanotech antigeriatric cases be shipped out with you. They are banning and therefore destroying them here anyway. What you do with them afterward is your business,” she said suggestively.
“You are putting on quite a good argument to go,” Jack mused. Refreshing his body was something he'd done with Aurelia from time to time over the decades, but with her gone the idea of living forever had lost its appeal.
“Aurelia would want that. A fresh start for you. One where you make the rules, Jack.”
“What system?” he finally asked, playing with his lower lip as he watched the robot finish cleaning up his mess.
“The first Lagroose colony is in a star system called Pyrax out beyond the gateway. The planet has been named Eden by the terraformers as you know. The ship leaves in a couple weeks. They are filling up with colonists and equipment. You can pull rank and bump someone or several someones. Bring some familiar faces with you if they want to tag along. I believe 10 percent of the old guard would love to tag along with their families.”
“Give me a bit to think about it,” Jack murmured thoughtfully. Pulling out would mean he'd be going with his tail between his legs; there was no way to avoid that rather public perception. But it would mean he'd go on his own terms like she said and would open the door to, like Napoleon, return if needed. If he was ever needed, he thought. In a way, clearing out would give the kids the boot to step up. They wanted, no insisted, to get out of his shadow, right? Well, since they didn't want to strike out on their own, perhaps he really should reverse that order then? He hummed as he turned the idea over and over in his head. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. A fresh start? A reborn body? No political crap? What more was there to think about?
“Max is on his way. Perhaps he could help you decide. I think a fresh start would do him a world of good too,” Athena said softly.
“I said I'll think about it,” Jack said mildly. A voice stress analysis of the sound of his voice gave her a 59.34 percent probability that he'd already made up his mind the AI judged.
<>V<>
“This is wrong, Wendy, just wrong,” Roman said, eying her. Trevor nodded. The board was split down the middle as they took sides. It was surprising at all that any of them went to Wendy's camp. Apparently she'd been doing a lot of closed-door politicking while Jack and Roman had been otherwise occupied.
“So, I'm guessing you aren't going to vote in favor of the changing of the guard?” she asked sweetly.
Roman's eyes flashed as he crossed his arms. “No. Hell no.”
“Well, then, I don't know what to say,” she said sitting back.
“It's not too late to stop this, Wendy. Damn it,” Trevor said in a mechanical voice.
“We are beyond that,” Wendy said softly, with an almost pitying smile. “If you two cannot support me, then you can work … elsewhere,” she said.
“You are firing us?” Roman asked, eyes wide.
“You are a general, go play soldier,” Wendy said with a shrug. “Or fall in line like a good soldier and do as you are told,” she said, eyes flashing as she stood and leaned over her desk.
Roman's jaw flexed. “You know, I think I will,” he said, eying her coldly.
“Really?” Trevor asked in surprise.
Roman shrugged. “The Marines are here to stay. They will need leadership, also techs,” he said looking at Trevor.
Trevor cocked his head. “What's it going to be, Hillman?” Wendy asked. It was working out quite well. She knew the old guard would have to go eventually; there would be too much lingering resentment. She wanted to put her own people in place anyway, people loyal only to her not her father. This was working beautifully.
“Yes. I think I'll walk as well,” Trevor said with a nod.
“Then I'll arrange to have your exit interviews and operations performed,” she said.
“Now that I highly doubt,” Roman replied. “Since memory wipes are illegal now,” he said with a smile. Wendy's smile seemed to curdle. “A little provision the A.I. got through congress.”
“You …-”
“Besides, we're both shareholders. And since your dad is still the CEO, at least for the time being, we're resigning under his leadership,” Trevor said with a nod to Roman. “Good luck getting your dad to agree to sanction us or anyone else who wishes to leave,” he said as the two men headed for the door.
“Go then. And don't let the door hit your ass on the way out,” Wendy growled as they left.
<>V<>
“So, am I going to see your resignation as well, Miss Cole?” Wendy asked as the company publicist came into the room.
“I'm not sure. Should you? You aren't in charge yet,” the other woman said. “I did want you to know the blowback from this is going to be fierce. I know you are playing your dad's public comments against the bans on nanotech and nukes against him to win short-term approval, but this isn't going to sit well. Not in the company or with the public.”
“And long term?” Wendy asked, knitting her fingers together.
“Long term is anyone's guess at this point. The entire system is up in the air. I believe the way things are blowing that the megacorps are going to be trimmed back. But that will engineer some to relocate outside the solar system to get away from Sol's taxation and oppressive laws.”
“They'd be cutting their own throats in the process. This is where the market is,” Wendy said.
“Where it is now. Weren't you the one who mentioned long term not more than a moment ago?” Barbie asked with a faint smile. “Pavilion has come up with a new hyperdrive design. It's a sled for smaller ships to allow the core craft to detach it and enter atmosphere.”
“We'll undoubtedly come up with our own then,” Wendy replied with a nod. “Thank you for pointing it out.”
“It's obvious; it's in their morning news conference. The other thing I was going to bring up,” Barbie said. She frowned, thinking fast and furious. She didn't like quitting; she'd stayed at her post through a lot of stuff. But she was getting a lot of job offers currently. Now was the time to jump ship. Wendy might get vindictive; but Jack should cover her.
“I think I will take you up on that offer,” Barbie said as she headed for the door.
“And which one is that?” Wendy asked.
“My resignation. Consider it tendered now,” she said, flipping a memo out through her implants to Athena and Jack's inbox and then to Wendy's. Wendy scowled. “Good luck managing the fallout. You'll need it,” she said as she left.
<>V<>
Jack did indeed go out with a bang. His bitter reaction spilled over into the public. Wendy wished him well publicly as she tried to spin the story. But the company stock was hammered anyway.
Jack made it clear he wasn't giving anyone on the board or his kids his proxy. It went to Athena in lieu of her pay and severance. She would collect the dividends to pay for her hardware and maintenance needs. Not that there would be much in that quarter. He also made it public that his will had been rewritten to exclude his children. That caused a great deal of fuss that the public affairs department was ill equipped to smooth over. Attempts to spin the dispute as a family matter failed as more people became interested in the drama.
Jack cashed out some of his shares to arrange some of the medical things he and Aurelia had discussed but had never gotten around to using fully. Some of the money went to purchasing tech he wanted to bring along. He made it clear he was going to be the colonial governor. Thousands of personnel, many talented people, the company and rebuilding civilization needed cashed out as well
to follow along or to go into retirement. Wendy and Yorrick tried to stem the tide as did the board but those people had latched onto Jack's rising star. They were also embittered by how his kids treated him.
With their departure it meant customers who had spent decades building up contacts and trust with the company and individuals in it were gone as well. Which meant they were now shopping around, looking for the competition. Pavilion and Radick Industries snapped up several lucrative customers.
It also meant those people in the company who went above and beyond to make sure things in their departments ran smoothly suddenly left their departments to retire or create their own companies. That left many of the departments in chaos and confusion. They were the glue, the binder that kept things running smoothly and efficiently. Many had been in senior management positions for decades. Entire departments were shut down until the chain of command could be rebuilt, most likely from the ground up. That threw several contracts into default and breech, which meant even more black eyes for the company.
The Earth rebuilding contracts faltered. They had a cushion of materials in the orbital warehouses, but it wasn't enough to cover the downtime. Jack knew that they would lose the contracts. He didn't care.
Jack thought of it as leading a not quite scorched Earth policy. He was too bitter to care.
“Dad, it doesn't have to be this way,” Yorrick told him as he met him in the airlock. He'd envisioned a bloodless turnover like Wendy had told him, convinced him that was what was needed, what his father would eventually accept. He was bewildered, confused by the turn of events. She'd assured him their father was ready to retire! He was just being stubborn and bitter she'd insisted. She'd been wrong, but hopefully she would be right about it all blowing over.
Wendy's reactions hadn't helped the situation She'd put on a public face of warmth and compassion but it had become decidedly strained given the circumstances. Things weren't going her way and she wasn't happy. She had lashed out at a few of the department heads, which had gotten them to resign or retire. That hadn't gone over well with her, driving her into further tantrums.
“Just be glad it is. It could be far worse.”
“Wendy and I just want what's best for you. For us.”
“Funny. Getting thrown out of the company I started, I bled for, I … you know, never mind.” He looked away in pain. He wished Yorrick had let him go, hadn't come at all. It pained him to see his son there.
“Dad, Wendy is beside herself. It's hurting us. This … the scandal is hurting the company. The company you just said you built. And her and I, Dad …”
Jack's angry eyes turned on his son, his betrayer. “You stabbed me in the back and you are whining about being hurt? Come on. Don't give me that crap,” Jack snarled.
Yorrick winced. “Dad.” He sighed heavily. “Okay, we screwed up. I get that. But you are still our father. And now Athena leaving … Can't you talk to her? Damn it! We need her back!”
“She's a person remember?” Jack asked, smiling darkly. Athena had sent an AI along for the ride, one of her children. The AI would be initialized when they got to their new home, if it was properly terraformed. “She like a lot of people left as you pointed out. The turning out of the guard. It's what you wanted remember?”
“Not like this,” Yorrick said, shaking his head. The company was in chaos beyond anything he'd imagined. It was spilling over to the public too. Some of the people were waiting with long knives, ready to carve the company up with threats of eminent domain and mutterings of a monopoly that had gone on long enough.
Athena had run so much of the day-to-day business behind the scenes; her departure had literally torn the heart out of the company. All logistics and manufacturing processes were at a standstill. Customers were already screaming about the delays. It was just piling up. He knew he'd get an ulcer from it. Worse, he'd broken a date twice as well as a couple planned outings with his friends. That sucked.
Coders were trying to fill in the gaps, but Athena had taken her code with her. The IT department said it would take months to just begin to assess the damage let alone get everything back on track.
Couple that with the old guard cashing in their retirements and leaving … some to set up start-ups to compete with the company and it was no wonder Wendy had her hands full and looked like she'd aged decades in weeks.
Athena had insured Jack's ship could depart on schedule. A last parting gift before she'd left for Mars Jack thought with a mental salute. She'd been a child of his as well—well, of Trevor and his company at any rate. He hadn't seen it. A true child of the mind. He'd miss her. Fortunately she was sending along one of her children to keep an eye on him.
Max snuffled from the ship interior, peaking out at Jack. Jack turned a long look his way, smiled slightly, then made a shooing motion before he turned back to his son.
Tired eyes studied his son. Yorrick's eyes wouldn't meet his own. That was too bad, but he accepted it. “I tried to teach you kids not to think everything will go your way. Not to whine but to step up. To not act like spoiled rich brats. I failed in those lessons; I see that now. Goodbye, Yorrick, have a nice life. Tell your sister the same,” Jack said simply. When Yorrick looked up in surprise as well as hurt at not hearing the love in his father's voice, Jack nodded once and then turned and left without a backwards glance. “Come on you, smart-ass mutt. I've got a date with a regen tank, and you've got a date with a stasis pod,” Jack growled, shoulders back and straight despite his advanced age. Perhaps … just perhaps this wasn't the end he thought. Just the end of a chapter and the pause before the beginning of a new one. One could only hope he thought as the lock closed behind him.
“Regrets?” Max sent through his implants.
“A lot. But I'm not going to let them stop me. Come on,” Jack said as the umbilicals began to detach. The ship was already readying to depart. “I'll tuck you in.”
“Cute,” Max said then padded off ahead of him, tail wagging.
The End
Author's Afterward
Well, here is the first note, I goofed on a few things for Bumper and Boomer. Most notably the date when the A.I. war began, I had it as August 3rd 2200, and in that story it started in May. Oops? Ah well. The great thing about e-books is I can fix that easily. When I get off my lazy butt to do so. :)
Wow! Was this ever a ride! I hope now you understand some of the history of A.I., the Neos, the Marines, a few other things and how they have come to be. Fun, huh? I'm looking forward to the next short story interlude, followed by the First Terran Interstellar War. And before you ask the question, yes, some of this will indeed come back to haunt Admiral Irons in the future.
In many ways this was a trip to write. It didn't hit me until about halfway into it that I was turning the whole invasion of Earth trope on its head. The same for the organic versus AI war. I know they did that with stuff like Mass Effect, but that started with an alien invasion. This book's antagonists came from within.
As usual I laid the seeds for short stories throughout the book. That was so I could stick to the main plot without getting bogged down by too many side adventures. Some of the threads I left hanging will be tied up in them.
For those of you who have a bit of misgivings over my naming the virus Skynet … it is parody. Well, yeah, I'm a fan of the Terminator franchise, but so was Descartes apparently. Yes I wrote a Terminator Salvation book (which is sitting on my hard drive since the Titan Publishing House lost the rights and never got back to me on my submission) but this is my own work. No time travel, just the name and okay, I tucked in a couple things here and there for fun. No intention of linking it to the franchise honest. Parody.
The same for Naruto, Thundercats, Zoids, and others. (LOTR anyone?) I am a fan of many, and I imagined fans (like cosplayers for instance) would get carried away and try to “live the dream.” Some people would name their creations or progeny (Skynet for instance) from them. I've played with that meme off and on over the other books. Now you ge
t to see one possible reason why it happens in the future time periods. :)
Thanks to the Betas for sticking with me and being ever patient (or impatient in some cases) with me and the process. I had fun teasing them with snippets, and their “hurry up and finish already!” along with the occasional “You had to cut and leave it right there? When it was getting good? I'm going to hurt you!” threats kept me going or at least inspired me to get back to work. :D
Sorry Thomas, I had to do that to Boomer. It just sort of worked that way. He had a good death though. Nuf said.
So, that's about it. I've got a busload of brats coming to go swimming … and to try to talk me into ordering Dominos (Which might be easy. I'm currently hungry since it's lunchtime … but they aren't due for another hour and a half … hmmm …)
I'm going to mess with the cover art for this book this week while the heat finally slacks off a tad (hopefully without damaging my PC further in the process) and then dive into Pirates Rage.
You can read more of my musings and such, plus see behind the scenes stuff on my blog.
Cast:
The Beakman
Commander Mush Mishi Sa Sin -wife and daughter lost on skyhook
Ezel Bernard
Patty and Mat -deckhands
Sammy-cat
Valerie Chu- survivor on chinese skyhook
4 star General Issiac Murtough -16 year chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Liaison with Lagroose industries due to his personal relationship with Jack. Neutral to all megacorps.
Lieutenant George Takai staff member of Murtough. On the same shuttle. -transferred to shuttle command.
Captain Isis Oleander -staff member of Murtough. On the same shuttle. -promoted to Colonel.
Major Johnson -officer on the general's shuttle. pilot.
