Warp Point

by Darrell Bain

  Hawkins shook his head. “If what we're doing is the right thing, we have to be sure we get them all. I'm going to change tactics and use up some time by taking us in a really wide circuit of this system, around the sun then back toward the route to the other universe. I'm pretty sure they'll catch on to what we're doing and send ships over, under and around the sun, hoping to catch us somewhere and bring us to bay. That's what they have to do, you know."

  “Can they do it?"

  Hawkins shrugged and gave him a thin smile. “If they have more ships than we have missiles and power, sure. We just have to hope they don't. Either that or outmaneuver them until we're sure all of them have arrived, then head for our warp point."

  “Won't they suspect we're up to something like that?"

  “I can answer that,” Terrell said. “So far as I can tell, all warp points look alike, or rather display the same characteristics to the instruments the Termites think the MI possess. It took the Termites hundreds of years of study before they hit on the difference between a normal warp point and the type they think leads to another universe. They'll think we're running for another solar system if they think anything."

  Dan sipped at coffee, wishing for something stronger. “Have any of our genius scientists come up with a reason why the MI don't want biological intelligence leaving their planets? If we knew, maybe we could negotiate. Even if they didn't answer our hail, they must have gotten it."

  Terrell stood up and began pacing, using the lull in hostilities to work some circulation back into his legs. “We have some speculation that hasn't been released yet if you'd like to hear it."

  “Say on,” Dan replied.

  “Well, bearing in mind we have absolutely no proof to back up our thinking, the consensus so far is that once the Termenians developed computers with artificial intelligence, they let them go too far. The machine intelligences communicated with each other and gradually developed a culture, of sorts. Then they began taking hard looks at biological intelligence. It didn't take much observation and delving into history to see that biological intelligence has one abiding imperative: go forth and multiply. It probably wasn't much of a step to assume the biological species would eventually increase to such an extent that interplanetary space travel would expand to interstellar through use of warp points in the system. They wanted no part of such a scenario for some reason that's not really clear. We tend to think the notion of warp points scares them somehow; it doesn't seem logical to them and they're scared of what might happen. Fortunately, they couldn't overcome the core programming preventing them from harming biological intelligence, or from developing machines which would. That left just one option. Quarantine."

  Dan ran his fingers through his hair. “It sounds logical."

  Terrell chuckled. “Think of how many theories in our history have sounded logical, then later proved to be bags of air. Without proof, it's speculation, nothing more."

  Dan thought for a moment. “Nevertheless, I think I'd like you and the others involved to write up a paper. List the salient points of your reasoning and why you've reached your conclusion, or hypothesis, let's call it. Then have it distributed to the ship net for anyone to look at. Maybe someone will come up with more ideas."

  “Can't hurt,” Terrell agreed. “I'll do it on my next break."

  * * * *

  More and more MI ships became visible and began giving chase. It was Matt who noticed there was a difference in some of the ships. He pointed it out.

  Hawkins rubbed his chin. “The Oort's a big area. Maybe they're built different in some areas than others. Let's hope so, because we want to get every single ship they have."

  “It sure seems stupid of them to send all their ships, if they actually do,” Stacey said.

  “Uh huh, but we have to remember they're essentially nothing more than computers with artificial intelligence,” Susan said. “They programmed themselves with this imperative command after the first ones decided on their own to make every biological intelligence go to ground. I don't know whether they can change their attitude, but I seriously doubt they can. Whether it was programmed into them or they decided on their own to institute a program, it amounts to the same thing. You think a mule's stubborn. A programmed computer makes a mule seem as cooperative as a bride looking for kisses."

  Stacey started to laugh but yawned instead.

  “Speaking of computers, we aren't. Commander Saddler, we have a couple of hours before the next engagement. Take your complement to the break room and try to rest. This could go on for days, or weeks. We have to remember that MI ships don't tire out like we do."

  Stacey yawned again, caught the others with her gaze and they trooped out. She had no trouble falling asleep; it was waking back up that was hard.

  * * * *

  “Now! By God, at last we can rest a while.” Hawkins was tired but not quite ready for sleep yet. They had passed behind the sun and for a while they had no worries about pursuit.

  “We'd better rest,” Dan said quietly. “When we come back around, we'll not only have ships trailing us, there'll be some that've cut the arc and got in front of us, too, unless I miss my guess. We'll have to face them, too, so we may as well get ready for more fighting.” He glanced at the screen, presently showing only the damped-down image of the Termen sun and pinpoints of stars around it.

  * * * *

  Two days later Dan saw how wrong he had been. There were indeed MI ships to be seen but they were accelerating away from, rather than toward Pioneer.

  “Those slick damn bastards!” Hawkins exclaimed. “See what they're doing? They waited until we were hidden by the sun, then part of them decelerated as quickly as they possibly could, cut the arc, and started accelerating away from us. Now we've got ships on all sides. The ones in front will gradually slow down while the ones behind nudge us forward."

  “We've still got plenty of missiles, don't we?"

  “For now, but look how many more ships've showed up. They won't let us get close if they can help it, not until they've got overwhelming numbers. That's when we'll have the fight. They'll close in and take their lumps until the survivors can capture us with their tractor beams. Those buddies may be machines, but they're not dummies."

  “It sounds like we need to preempt their plan. We've got a few smarts ourselves."

  Hawkins grinned malignantly. “That's exactly what we'll do. I doubt any of them can match Pioneer's maximum speed. We're gonna accelerate and catch the ones in front of us, then take them out. Maybe that'll make ‘em back off for a while."

  Hawkins’ plan was easier said than done. He barely got Pioneer in range to launch a few missiles at laggards before the MI ships broke formation, scattering in all directions. The missiles took out the few ships he had managed to target, but the others were quickly out of range. “Bastards,” he muttered and ordered a violent deceleration, hoping the MI didn't know Pioneer could launch from the rear.

  The trailing MI ships saw what Pioneer was doing and followed the example of the ones in front. They scattered, leaving only a few as sacrificial goats.

  “I'm glad we've got artificial gravity,” Dan said, trying to give a light-hearted veneer to the series of violent maneuvers.

  “Yeah, but those chipheads don't need it. They can pull as many G's as their ships can tolerate the stress. Never mind, we'll manage one way or another.” He glanced at the time. “Captain, maybe you'd better wake up Commander Saddler so she can get a fix on how they're operating now."

  “Will do. Melinda? Would you wake Commander Saddler, please?"

  “Yes, sir."

  Stacey was not yet looking haggard but Dan could tell she was sleep deprived, just as he was. That'll be what whips us if anything does, he thought. The MI don't have to rest. He kept his thoughts to himself, seeing no point in disclosing his fear that the indefatigable artificial intelligences would eventually just wear them down.

  * * * *

  “We're going to have to pass our warp point
again,” Stacey announced two days later. She was giving Hawkins a long rest while there was no fighting going on. “We just spotted another contingent of ships."

  “Goddamn them, how many do they have?” Dan immediately berated himself for the outburst.

  “It's a good thing they aren't real spaceships, or we'd be eating dirt already,” Terrell observed.

  “I know, but it's hard to think of them as simply platforms to carry artificial intelligences."

  “With industrial lasers for drilling and carving debris they use in construction and tractor beams to jimmy it around."

  “And their defensive force fields are really just meteoroid shields,” Dan added. “But industrial platforms or not, we need to come up with something better than what we've been doing. I didn't expect nearly so many ships.” He rubbed his eyes.

  “You need some sleep, Captain. Go to bed. I'll call you if anything unusual comes up.” Stacey pointed to the break room.

  Dan took one more look at the projections and nodded. He was very nearly asleep before his head touched the pillow, but his slumber was restless and beset with dreams of being overwhelmed by MI ships coming at them in endless numbers. He returned to Central Control not much fresher than when he had left.

  * * * *

  While he and Hawkins were both on duty, Dan remembered his dream and suggested they take the initiative for a change.

  Hawkins agreed. “You're right, Captain. We've just been reacting the last four or five days and letting them build up their strength. I don't know how many more are coming, but it sure wouldn't hurt to show them it's wise to keep their distance while we're waiting to find out."

  “Pick your time and place and have at it.” He stretched, then accepted a fresh cup of coffee from George. Even the two sergeants are beginning to slow a bit, he thought. Not a good sign. Maybe some action would perk them up. And he needed to speak to the rest of the crew. He knew he'd been paying too much attention to their peril and not enough to morale—which might become crucial before it was over.

  Hawkins waited until a cluster of MI were ahead of them, still keeping their distance, but closer than they had been for days. He gave the order for maximum acceleration and put the missile on automatic launch sequence. They would drop from the ship and fire their engines as quickly as targets were acquired.

  The MI ships were taken by surprise after days of idleness. The missiles took out a half dozen in violent explosions until Pioneer got close enough for Hawkins to fire laser cannon, saving his store of missiles for later. Dan had the encounter relayed to his screen in real images rather than the icons, vectors and digital readouts that showed others in Central Control how the fight was going. Seeing the violet colored lasers reaching out to touch MI ships and watching their ensuing death as the beams cut into them swept away the sleep deprivation like a stimulating tonic. Pioneer's lasers were far more powerful than anything ever imagined on Earth. They slashed into the enemy ships like electric knives slicing meat, leaving glowing pieces of debris tumbling in their wake. Several ships died in stupendous, eye-searing explosions as their anti-matter containment fields were broached. It was a scenario that gladdened his heart, seeing a score of MI ships destroyed before the rest broke away in the usual fashion, accelerating in all different directions so that only a few remained vulnerable.

  Dan put the action sequence on the ship net as soon as it was clear that the short, violent encounter was over. He watched it again himself, right from the start. The way MI ships died in multi-colored explosions was beautiful in a way, like gorgeous flowers blossoming into full bloom in mere seconds, then fading away, only to be replaced by others. The violent destruction of anti-matter warheads left few remains, but violet colored laser beams sliced ships into wrecked debris, with the remnants still glowing red and yellow from the heat. Where MI ships attempted to bring their tractor beams into play, Pioneer looked for brief moments as if it was attached to its antagonists by lancets of light, the screen giving a colored rendition of forces that were unseen in practice. Watching the reproduction of Pioneer's fight would raise morale, he knew, but it hadn't really been a battle. The MI ships hadn't offered any resistance other than attempting to spoil the aim of lasers with their tractor beams or trying futilely to intercept incoming missiles, but while Pioneer was destroying two dozen of them, another forty became visible.

  He knew they couldn't allow the disparity in numbers to keep climbing indefinitely; in fact, when questioned, Hawkins thought the MI ships were already approaching critical mass, at which point, despite how many they killed, the remainder could capture them. Dan thought about the problem for a moment, then beckoned Susan to him.

  She got up from her chair and walked over to him. He pulled out the seat where Stacey normally sat and motioned for her into it.

  “Yes, Captain?"

  “Susan, can you fudge up a program, taking what we've seen so far of MI armament and maneuvering capability, and figure out how many of them it would take to ground us, even if we're fighting them at the same time?"

  She brushed strands of hair from her forehead, a perennial gesture. “I think so, if you'll give me a few hours with General Hawkins to help with the input."

  “Okay, you've got him. I'll hold down the fort here. Take care to avoid mistakes, but give it to me soon as possible. Okay?"

  “Got it, captain."

  Six hours later, Dan had his answer. The MI already had very nearly enough ships on hand to force Pioneer down to Termen despite anything they could do. And the ships kept coming, although the number emerging from the Oort Cloud did seem to be slowing somewhat.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “They're on to us, Captain,” Hawkins announced. “We waited until too late."

  “What?” Dan blinked and brought himself back to full awareness. He had very nearly gone to sleep at his station, not a good example for the captain.

  “I said they're on to us, at least partly. They seem to have discovered our warp point to the other universe and I think they know we're going to run for it sooner or later."

  “Then why aren't they doing something about it?"

  “They are. See how they're beginning to group around that area? In a few more days, if they keep coming like they have been, we might not be able to fight our way through."

  “Okay, I guess we're going to have to act soon, but it's not like we can maneuver much when we decide to tackle them. We'll have to be in line with the warp angle and there's very little room for variation."

  “Yeah, I know. They played it smart, too. The grouping didn't start until we were well past it on this circuit around the sun.” He shook his head, angry that he had been content to avoid hostilities so long as the MI did. In retrospect, he knew he should have attacked as often as feasible, but he had been fearful of some of the larger ships that had made an appearance the last few days. He'd had no idea at the time how far their tractor beams would reach and hadn't really wanted to find out. Also, they wanted every last MI in existence to follow them through the warp point, yet hostile ships were still arriving.

  “Well, not much we can do at the moment, but let's start making plans for when we come around again."

  “You bet. And Dan—Captain—we're going to have to. My gunners are okay, but here in Central Control, we're letting the fatigue factor get to us. I should have seen their pattern earlier and done something about it."

  “We'll do something now, don't worry. Besides ... I was thinking on my last break while I should have been sleeping. The MI are still showing up, but they're strung out to hell and gone. Suppose we do go through the warp point to the alternate universe while they're still coming? If the Termenians are right, they'll all follow us, and the ones just arriving will have that strung out line to follow. Again, if they're right, the MI will keep following us through the warp point until they're all there. They won't stop until they have us in hand."

  Hawkins shook his head, willing himself to believe it was
that simple. “I know, I know, but it still sounds stupid that they'd commit every intelligence they have to an unknown warp point, just to pin us down on a planet. Damn it all, it seems like they ought to worry about what they might be getting into. Hell, I'm worried about what we'll be leading them into!"

  Dan pointed to the screen. “It appears as if they just discovered it. Do they know it leads to an alternate universe yet?"

  Hawkins was taken aback. He looked like a teacher who had been caught in a mistake by a pupil in the middle of a lecture. “By God, Captain, they may not! After all, the Termites claim they've been studying their system for hundreds of years with everything they could muster, trying to find a way out of their trap. In the meantime, the MI have probably been content to go on about their business, slowly exploiting the Oort and gas giants. They're potentially immortal, after all. Why get in a hurry?"

  “I think he's right, General,” Terrell said. “We tend to anthropomorphize other intelligences, including the machines, when there's no earthly reason why they should think like we do, no pun intended."

  Hawkins nodded his head in agreement. “He'd better be right, because I think we're going to have to tackle them on the next go ‘round. We can't wait much longer."

  * * * *

  For several days the MI seemed content to keep their distance, even as more and more of them showed on the screen. Pioneer had just come from behind the sun and detected more MI ships altering course to put themselves in a position to block the warp point to the other universe the ship had to go through. Dan, Hawkins, Matt and Stacey waited until there was no cluster of MI ships near enough to initiate hostilities for at least a couple of hours, then retired to the captain's stateroom for a conference.

  Dan took off his uniform jacket and eased the back of his chair to a comfortable tilt. He closed his eyes for a moment, then regretfully forced them open. “Okay folks, decision time. If no one can think of a better alternative, we're going to have to try blasting through to the warp point and the alternate universe, and hope all the MI follow. And also hope the physical laws there are different enough to disable them but let us survive.” He raised his brows, waiting for opinions.