A.I. Battle Fleet (The A.I. Series Book 5) Page 21

  “Anything you need to tell me about the marines?” Jon asked.

  The Centurion shook his head.

  Jon would have clapped him on the shoulder, but the man looked pained whenever he moved.

  -12-

  Seven hours later, Jon sat in the captain’s chair. He had an unsettling feeling of déjà vu, of having done this just the other day. Had it really been over seven weeks since they’d entered the Lytton System? Now, they were coming into the BD-7 System.

  “We are leaving hyperspace,” the helmsman reported.

  The transition went smoothly as always, with no discernable shift, jolt or any other discomfort.

  “The main screen should be activating,” Gloria said from her station.

  Just like in the Lytton System, the screen abruptly activated. The bluish-white F-class star was easily visible from here, the “B” part of the BD-7 System. The other, smaller star was dark, invisible to the naked eye.

  Time passed as Gloria, Senior Line Tech Morales and the others ran through their sensor scans. It took time searching the great swath of territory. Finding a planet was easy compared to finding a spaceship. A hot spaceship was many times easier to spot than one moving through velocity alone.

  “Don’t tell me the planets have disappeared again,” Jon finally said.

  “There are planets,” Gloria said.

  She turned back to her console. Soon, her head jerked up. She whispered to Morales.

  Jon had become impatient. Giving them time for an initial scan was essential, but she should have given him a preliminary report by now.

  Take it easy, he told himself. Play it calm to keep the others calm.

  Ten minutes later, Jon couldn’t stand it anymore. He stood, turning toward them.

  As if waiting for that as a signal, Gloria swiveled her chair to face him. “Sir,” she said, “I have several reports to make. I’m not sure I understand everything I’m seeing.”

  Jon waited, trying to maintain his poise.

  “The main planets are at their correct locations according to the Allamu chart,” Gloria began.

  “Continue,” he said.

  “I’ve—” She glanced at Morales. “We’ve noted concentrations of cyberships at three equidistant locations in the interior asteroid belt. We’ve also spotted heavy spreads of XVT missiles and speeding comets. The missiles and comets—asteroids, I suppose—are heading toward the terrestrial planet. Said planet is one point three-two times the size of Earth, has a wet atmosphere and what appears to be a fortress belt of spaceships or satellite defenders around it.”

  “Wait,” Jon said. “What? The terrestrial planet doesn’t have a battle station?”

  “Not an AI-style battle station,” Gloria said. “The configuration of the defending satellites or spaceships is quite distinct from the asteroid-belt cyberships.”

  “The Allamu chart was wrong about this system?”

  “Not in all dimensions,” Gloria said. “The planet clearly shows high industrial output.”

  “So it is a factory planet?”

  “If by that you mean an AI factory planet, I doubt it. Jon, we may have stumbled onto an alien species defending themselves from a huge and possibly sustained AI assault.”

  It took Jon several seconds to digest that. Finally, he grinned before turning serious again. “The chart is wrong in key particulars, right?”

  “So it seems,” Gloria said.

  “Why do say it’s a sustained assault?”

  “The comets or asteroids must have taken time to ready and move to high velocity. Remember, the rocks are heading for the planet.”

  “You said three groupings of cyberships.”

  “Not precisely,” Gloria said. “Three groupings stationed in the asteroid belt.”

  “There are more cyberships?”

  Gloria nodded. “Two are heading at high velocity for one of the farther concentrations.”

  “Two cyberships heading in-system toward the interior asteroid belt?” asked Jon.

  “Sorry, I should have been more specific. Given our sensor readings and the angle of the approach, I believe the two-ship flotilla is Cog Primus. The angle of the approach is consistent with a direct hyperspace journey from the Allamu System to here.”

  “Cog Primus didn’t first go to the Lytton System?”

  “If those two cyberships are his out there,” Gloria said, “no.”

  Jon nodded slowly as he absorbed that.

  Gloria glanced at Morales. The leathery senior line tech was studying his panel. “Any changes?” she asked him.

  “None,” Morales said, sounding brisk.

  “Notify me if there are.”

  “Certainly, Mentalist,” Morales said.

  Gloria cleared her throat as she faced Jon again. “If you’ll permit me, I’ll put our findings on the main screen.”

  “Good idea,” Jon said.

  Gloria manipulated her console before looking up at the screen.

  Jon turned toward it. The screen showed the main F-class star, the gas giants in the outer system, the asteroid belts and the terrestrial planet in the Mars-like orbit. The interior belt was where the Asteroid Belt would be in the Solar System.

  Cog Primus’ two cyberships—if those were his, and Jon believed they were—had already begun massive deceleration. Their approach would bring them to seven cyberships parked near a dwarf planet inside the system’s interior asteroid belt.

  Gloria hadn’t confirmed the number of cyberships at the farthest point in the belt, as those vessels were on the other side of the main system star. The final grouping was in their general area if the strike force continued in-system. Gloria had counted seen of them there. Those cyberships prowled slowly through the belt as if hunting for something.

  “We’re looking at twenty-one or more AI Dominion cyberships,” Jon said.

  “A reasonable estimate,” Gloria said.

  Jon felt a cold knot of fear. They could not do anything against twenty-one cyberships. What did it mean that the Allamu chart had been wrong about an AI factory planet being here?

  “Let’s concentrate on the planet,” Jon said.

  “The terrestrial planet?” Gloria asked.

  He nodded.

  “First,” she said, “let me show you the missile packs.”

  Gloria manipulated her console. A computer imaging of what was out there showed on the main screen.

  Jon moved closer, counting the XVT missiles. “Must be over three hundred missiles in the first group alone,” he said.

  “Three hundred and fifty-two,” Gloria said. “They precede six asteroids, the largest of which is eleven point three kilometers long.”

  “Six asteroids…” Jon said.

  “I can’t tell yet, but I believe the asteroid may have gravitational cannons embedded within.”

  “And there’s another concentration of missiles and asteroids heading at the planet?”

  “Three concentrations altogether,” Gloria said. “They should all reach the planet at the same time.”

  “Saturation bombing,” Jon said.

  “Notice, though, that the cyberships are not following the missile-asteroid wave. That is interesting, possibly telling. That is what leads us to the conclusion that this is a space siege or a prolonged assault.”

  “Meaning the supposed aliens can stave off such a missile-asteroid wave. Give me a closer look at the defenders.”

  The screen changed again. Computer imaging showed the blue-green planet, with masses of dark, triangular-shaped orbital satellites or warships.

  “We haven’t seen this shape among the AIs,” Gloria said. “The hull composition is also different, indicating dense armor plating. Each of those vessels—if that’s what they are—is one fifth the size of a cybership.”

  “Approximately twenty kilometers long?” asked Jon.

  “Correct.”

  “But with less mass than a cybership, I presume,” he said.

  “That is my belief,
as well.”

  “How many have you counted so far?”

  “Eighty-one,” Gloria said. “Clearly, we can’t see the other side of the planet. So there are more.”

  A space battle between aliens and AIs,” Jon said softly.

  “That would be my first guess.”

  Jon looked at her in surprise. “What’s your second guess?”

  “I don’t have one yet,” Gloria admitted.

  Jon turned back to the main screen. “Why is Cog Primus approaching a battle group?”

  “We’re still analyzing the data,” Gloria said. “We haven’t recorded any messages, but if we do, that might tell us more.”

  Jon returned to his captain’s chair, sitting at an angle, rubbing his chin as he studied the main screen. “We’ll continue watching for a time,” he said. “I want to know more.”

  He swiveled the chair toward her. “Do you have any further comments?”

  “Not yet,” Gloria said.

  “Mr. Morales?” Jon asked.

  “I’ll run them by the mentalist first, sir, if that’s all right with you.”

  Jon nodded. Then he went back to studying the situation. This was fascinating, an alien society staving off a large AI assault. Did these aliens have anything to do with what had happened to them in the Lytton System?

  “We’ll keep monitoring,” Jon said. “Until further notice…we’ll continue in-system at our present velocity. I want to know more before we make a final decision.”

  -13-

  Twenty-two hours passed before Gloria had more to report. She showed it to a conference room full of personnel, including Jon, Bast, Captain Kling, the Centurion, Walleye, June, the Old Man, Senior Line Tech Morales and others.

  Gloria had the floor as she presented the data on the main screen, situated at the other end of the table from Jon.

  “As you can see on the screen,” Gloria said, “the XVT missiles are accelerating. The asteroids falling behind them continue to move at a constant velocity. We now know how the AIs accelerate the rocks.”

  Gloria pressed a clicker. The scene changed.

  Four cyberships working together using presser beams pushed an asteroid around a dwarf planet as they built up the asteroid’s velocity. At the same time, other cyberships presser pushed more similar-sized asteroids into position.

  Once more, the mentalist clicked a hand-unit, changing the scene. This showed cubical-shaped units inside the asteroid belt.

  “We’re calling this a robo-factory cube,” Gloria said. “It’s approximately fifty kilometers to a side. Every so often, an XVT missile ejects from the cube. There are several of them working in the general area. What we haven’t noticed until three hours ago were smaller, one-quarter-kilometer sized pods. We believe those are ore-ships, bringing ores to the robo-cubes.”

  “It’s definitely a space siege then?” Jon asked.

  “We’ll know more once the missile wave reaches the planet,” Gloria said. “According to our sensors, there are clouds of debris and radiation two million to eight hundred thousand kilometers from the planet.”

  “The aliens have been through the drill before,” Kling said.

  “That is my estimate as well,” Gloria said.

  “Do we have any idea what the aliens look like?” the Centurion asked.

  “Not yet,” Gloria said. “We are monitoring their transmissions. Unfortunately, said transmissions are heavily encrypted. The same isn’t true of the cyberships. They are communicating amongst themselves. Most of it is done through laser links we haven’t been able to tap yet. We have listened in to some of Cog Primus’ messages to the AI cyberships.”

  “So it is Cog Primus?” Kling said.

  “Without a doubt,” Gloria replied.

  “What is the bastard saying?” Jon asked.

  “He’s imitating a messenger ship from AI Central. Wherever that is,” Gloria added. “He claims to have priority clearance and a Code Nine message. We don’t know what a Code Nine message is, but it seems important to the AIs.”

  “Has Cog Primus sent the message to all the cybership groups?” Jon asked.

  “No,” Gloria said.

  The giant Sacerdote stirred. “Cog Primus’ ploy seems clear,” Bast said. “He hopes to maneuver within range of a battle group, beam our original anti-AI virus to them and take over their cores. That is how he plans to add cyberships to his New Order.”

  “Agreed,” Gloria said.

  “Which is why he is not messaging the other groups,” Bast said. “Presumably, it is easier for him to hijack cyberships while he is in close proximity to them. Yes. I deem it a sound strategy.”

  “Supposing Cog Primus succeeds in his ploy,” Kling said. “Will he continue the space siege?”

  “That’s anyone’s guess,” Gloria said.

  Jon slapped the table. “Of course,” he said. “That’s what we’ll do. We’ll mimic an AI core once one of the groups contacts us. We’ll have to come up with an excuse why we’re here.”

  “I would suggest that we say we’re reinforcements from the Lytton System,” Bast said.

  “Right,” Jon said. “Once we’re close enough to a battle group, we’ll unleash our superior Richard Virus.” He closed his eyes, opening them almost right away. “If we accelerate to a high velocity, we should be able to beat Cog Primus or his emissaries to our battle group.”

  “I must point out that yours is a highly risky plan,” Gloria said. “One, we don’t know if the Richard Virus works. Two, Cog Primus will certainly warn the battle group about us. The AIs might then refuse any communications with us, making it harder to beam them the virus. Three, Cog Primus’ use of the original anti-AI virus might make our targeted AI cores immune to our newest virus.”

  “Might or might not,” Jon said. “The difference is huge, I agree. But I don’t see that we have a choice in this. If Cog Primus is successful, he’ll have a battle group of cyberships that will be too large for our two vessels to destroy. If we want to keep knowledge about humanity secret for a little while longer, we must destroy Cog Primus and his new ships.”

  “Captain,” Gloria said. “You are forgetting a critical point. Cog Primus’ ploy might fail. The regular AIs might well destroy him and the problem for us.”

  “What about the aliens?” Kling asked. “We can’t just let them die to an AI onslaught.”

  “What can two cyberships do against twenty-one or more AIs?” Gloria asked.

  “Not a damn thing,” Jon said, his features hardening. “That’s why we have to ape Cog Primus’ strategy. Besides, we have an ace card: the aliens. Once they see us battling the AIs, once we communicate with them, they might throw their fleet into the fray and ensure the outcome.”

  “That is the best possibility,” Gloria said. “That is far from the only outcome, however. We know nothing about these aliens—”

  Jon slapped the table again, interrupting her. “We’ve been over all this before. Do we take the risk and roll sevens? Or do we slink away and live another few years, waiting for the AI hammer to fall on the Solar System?”

  “Sometimes bold deeds lead to massive defeats,” Gloria said.

  Jon sat back, eyeing his woman. “Very well, Mentalist. Do you have an alternative?”

  “Not yet,” Gloria said. “We need more data.”

  Jon shook his head as he concentrated on the others. “Ladies and gentlemen, consider the evidence. We’ve found an alien species fighting the AIs. Maybe as important, why didn’t the normal AI virus work against the aliens’ computers?”

  “Who said the AI virus didn’t?” Gloria asked.

  “Okay,” Jon said. “Maybe it did. If so, the aliens either overcame the initial AI assault or found a way to counteract it. Here’s another question. Remember the three missiles flying at five percent light speed? Did these aliens launch those missiles?”

  “I find the idea inconceivable,” Gloria said. “If the aliens could do such a thing, why haven’t they destroyed the bes
ieging cyberships?”

  “Good question,” Jon said. “I don’t know.”

  “That means we’re likely dealing with two sets of aliens,” Gloria said. “Those out there—”

  “Might be just the allies we’ve been looking for,” Jon said, butting in. “This is what we’ve hoped to find all along. Humanity can’t face the AI Dominion on its own. We need to unite the local star-faring races and fight together.” He slapped the table a third time. “This is the great moment. We must dare, using Richard’s genius in the creation of a better anti-AI virus and buy a break for all flesh and blood beings.”

  “I agree that is a noble goal,” Gloria said. “But if we’re wrong, there go our chances of ever defeating the AIs.”

  “We don’t have a choice in this,” Jon said stubbornly. “This is why we’re out here.”

  “But Jon,” Gloria said, “the AIs could destroy Cog Primus and solve our main problem—”

  “No,” Jon said decisively. “Cog Primus could have already relayed his knowledge about humans to the AIs. The odds are too high that he already has or will talk about us to them.”

  “I’m curious about a point,” Bast said ponderously.

  “Go ahead,” Jon said.

  The Sacerdote turned to Gloria. “You must have already computed the odds. I’m no mentalist, but the captain’s logic strikes me as impeccable.”

  “I know,” Gloria whispered. “That’s what worries me. I seriously dislike putting everything on the line like this. I feel as if this is the Battle of Mars all over again. That was a close-run fight, if you’ll remember.”

  “We won it, though,” Jon said.

  “Can we keep getting lucky like that?” Gloria asked.

  “We have to,” Jon said. “Because once our string of luck runs out, the human race dies.”

  As that sank in, an oppressive silent filled the room.

  “Of course,” Jon added, “I believe in making your own luck. You do it by outworking the other guy and taking the risk when it’s the right thing to do. That moment is now, and I think everyone here knows it.” Jon scanned the assembled throng. “Are there any objections to the plan?”