The Lost Artifact Read online

  “That is mine,” the super-android said. “I killed the proto-Builder for it.”

  “Galyan?” Maddox asked.

  The giant metal man cocked his head. “Yes. Yes, I am Galyan. I killed it.”

  “You defeated the Builder, Galyan. You didn’t kill it.”

  “Yes. Now, I want the cube.”

  “I’d like to know why,” Maddox said.

  “I am going to use it to increase my abilities.”

  “Interesting,” Maddox said. “I wonder, Galyan, if you will be the same after that.”

  “I am not the same now. I am…here. I…feel.”

  “It seems that congratulations are in order.”

  The android cocked its head. “Do you mean that, Captain?”

  Maddox saw his opening. “Galyan, you wouldn’t have had to ask me that in the past.”

  “Explain.”

  “You would have sensed my heartbeat and other indicators, knowing if I lied or told the truth. I think you’ve lost some of your…computing ability by being in the android.”

  “You are correct. I am going to construct a greater android for me, using that cube to hold my increased identity.”

  “Do you think the Builder identity in the cube will allow that?” Maddox asked.

  “I do not care what it will allow. I will do it.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe it will overpower your essence.”

  “I will set up safeguards so that does not happen.”

  Maddox shook his head. “I’m not sure you’re completely Galyan inside that pile of metal.”

  “Fear not, I will not harm you. Now, drop the cube. I am tired of seeing you hold it.”

  Maddox let go of the cube, letting it clunk onto the deck.

  The super-android looked up at him. “There is something wrong here. What is the real reason why you do not approve of me gaining the cube?”

  “What’s that over there?” Maddox asked, pointing at a distant hangar entrance.

  The super-android turned to look. As it did, Maddox scooped up his monofilament knife. He knelt beside the cube and tried to cut it. For the first time in his experience, Maddox couldn’t simply slice through an object with the monofilament blade. That amazed him. He found, though, that he could scrape off the smallest of filings from the cube.

  “I do not see what you mean for me to see,” Galyan said as he continued to look.

  “There are enemy reinforcements coming,” Maddox said with conviction. “I think we need another strikefighter’s autocannon.”

  Galyan searched again, twisting this way and that.

  Maddox madly scraped at the cube with his knife, trying to destroy it while he could.

  At that moment, Galyan faced him. “No!” the super-android shouted.

  As Maddox scraped, a knot of swirls that had been moving along the cube’s edge seemed to concentrate and surge up out of it. Like an electrical bolt, they struck Maddox and hurled him from the cube.

  Flying across the hangar was the last thing he remembered.

  -58-

  Maddox woke up in sickbay, feeling groggy. He struggled to recall what had happened to him. He looked around and saw others in here with him. The worst were the beds with the sheets pulled up over the persons under them.

  He knew what that meant. More of his crewmembers were dead, dead because of his negligence against the guardian robot.

  “Maddox,” whispered someone. Meta he realized. She rushed near and threw herself upon him, showering his face with kisses.

  He kissed her back because he was too weak to resist her. After a time, her ardor subsided and he could get a word in edgewise.

  “Where’s Galyan?” Maddox asked.

  Meta slid off his chest so she stood beside his med-cot. She shook her head. “It’s weird. There’s a robot in the hangar bay. I’ve seen video-shots of the place. It’s a wreck. Marines went to disarm the android. Their combat suits shut down before they could even enter. The android is building something in there using a strange cube.”

  Maddox scowled. “How did I get here?”

  “The android calls itself Galyan. It called Valerie through the comm system and had medics retrieve you. That’s the last time anyone has even been able to see the android.”

  “How many people have died?”

  Meta shook her head. “It’s up to seventy-three. Most of them were asphyxiated, unable to leave their airless chambers.”

  Maddox scowled thunderously at the news. His mind didn’t seem to be clicking. “Are we…?”

  “We’re near the rogue moon, if that’s what you’re asking,” Meta said. “You’ve been unconscious for sixteen hours. Oh, Maddox, I almost lost you this time.”

  Meta rushed him again.

  He held her back this time. “Listen to me. We may not have much time. I have to…”

  He scowled. What could he do? It sounded as if everyone was powerless against the new Galyan.

  “I think Andros has some ideas.”

  “Meta,” he said, ignoring her comment. “I have to talk to Valerie.”

  “She’s swamped.”

  “If I don’t see her right away, it’s going to be too late. Get her down here any way you can. I have to see her, and only her.”

  Meta nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  ***

  Maddox might have faded out a couple of times, as he didn’t recall the passage of time. Suddenly, Lieutenant Noonan marched through sickbay to him. Meta trailed her, but hung back.

  “Captain,” Valerie said briskly. “You wanted to see me?”

  She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes. Knowing his lieutenant, he was sure she hadn’t rested at all. He had no doubt more people would have died without her unstinting work in trying to repair and revive the starship.

  “It was a Builder or a proto-Builder,” Maddox said. “The cube is a Builder seed.”

  Valerie stared at him.

  In a few terse sentences, Maddox told her what had happened in the hangar bay.

  “Galyan killed the proto-Builder,” Maddox finished. “He knocked the cube out of it, and that killed it. Well, it didn’t kill it, but that put it back into its shell, into the cube. I tried to destroy the cube while I had a chance.”

  “Your monofilament knife was destroyed,” Valerie said. “A medic showed it to me. He picked it up when a team retrieved you from the hangar bay.”

  “The cube must have done that when it struck back,” Maddox said. “Lieutenant, Galyan—the robot, android, whatever he is—has the cube and is no doubt tinkering with it. Galyan in the android wants to increase his capacity, brainpower, whatever the cube can do for him.”

  “That…android really is Galyan?” Valerie asked.

  “Precisely,” Maddox said. “During my attack, Galyan beamed himself into the android. I’m supposing the Builder not only destroyed Galyan’s main AI system, but used it to take over the ship.”

  “Andros is saying the same thing. We’re trying to purge the strange programming from the main computers, but it’s a crazy mess and it’s resisting our efforts.”

  Maddox squinted, nodding. “We lack Ludendorff and Dana, genius-level tech experts. We have Galyan and Andros. But if Galyan uses the cube, I think he’s going to become the new Builder. In the end, he’ll become the thing we tried, no, that we did destroy.”

  “That Galyan destroyed, according to you,” Valerie said.

  Maddox stared at her before nodding.

  “I understand the problem,” she said, “and it’s a bad one. I don’t know why you needed to see me, though.”

  Maddox’s features stiffened as he looked away. He said softly, “Galyan is our friend.”

  “I’m surprised to hear you say that.”

  Maddox inhaled and seemed to steel himself. He faced her. “We’re a team. We have each other’s backs. But Galyan isn’t going to trust me after I tried to destroy the cube while distracting him. If anyone can gain his trust, be his friend,
it’s you.”

  “You’re just saying that.”

  “I’ve observed you two throughout the years. He likes you, Valerie. He trusts you. Unfortunately, this Galyan, the one inside the android, lacks the emotional programming he had in the starship’s computer system. We have to get the AI program, the Galyan we know, back into the regular ship computer so he becomes his old self again.”

  “So he gets his emotions back?” Valerie asked dubiously.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s crazy, sir. Galyan is an AI computer program with the engrams of an ancient Adok.”

  “He’s more. We’ve learned that throughout our years together. Galyan has helped all of us out of tricky situations. Now, it’s our turn to help him get back to what he was. I don’t like the new Galyan much. The cube will corrupt and twist his old Adok personality. The old Galyan cared about us. This one doesn’t.”

  “He called medics to come and get you.”

  “Maybe he does still care some. That means you have a chance.”

  “What about the cube? Don’t we need the cube in working order to help us find the other Strand clones?”

  “You’re right. We need it, and we probably need Galyan to crack it. But he has to crack it from afar, as it were. We can’t let him link with it or let the Builder seed corrupt him.”

  “We need Ludendorff,” Valerie said.

  Maddox doubted that, but he said, “Maybe we do, but we don’t have him. We have each other. I’m out for the moment, and like I said, this Galyan won’t trust me enough to listen. It’s on your shoulders, Valerie.”

  She stared at him, stricken.

  “I’m counting on you to get our friend back to his old ways.”

  “Yes, Captain,” Valerie said. “I’ll do my best.” She turned to go.

  Maddox reached out and grabbed one of her wrists, pulling her back around. “Do more than your best, Lieutenant. Win. That’s the only thing that matters.”

  The stricken look returned, although she said, “Spoken like the captain I know. Yes, sir, I’ll try to win.”

  He looked into her eyes, nodded and released her. Could the lieutenant do it? They were about to find out.

  -59-

  Valerie had her doubts about this as she headed for the hangar bay. She’d always liked Galyan. But he was an AI-engram program. What was Maddox thinking? How was she supposed to appeal to a computer?

  She stopped before the hangar bay entrance. The android that claimed it was Galyan had given direct and certain orders. He had said he would kill anyone interrupting his great work.

  That couldn’t be Galyan in the android. And even if it was: He’s a computer program.

  Valerie shook her head. Deep down, she didn’t really believe that. She had…loved Galyan. He had saved their lives many times. He was, maybe, the most important member of the crew. He’d been the most selfless, that was for sure. He had suffered, too. He had deep memories of his race and wife…

  Valerie sighed. She was too cynical. She’d been working under Maddox for a long time. She saw how he did things. He was tricky, slippery and he almost always won.

  Could she win today?

  It felt as if she was going to try to put the genie back in its bottle. Galyan was out. Could she get him to go back in?

  “Let’s do this, Lieutenant. Let’s not think this to death like you usually do.”

  Valerie straightened her uniform and marched toward what could be her death.

  She opened the hatch and began to walk along the hangar bay deck. There was junk strewn everywhere. It looked like a battlefield. Well, except for that area in the center. The super-android must have cleared away a lot of the junk over there. It had built itself an impressive array of computer machinery and stuff she could not identify.

  According to Maddox, it was up to her this time. She was on the front line. That’s what she had always wanted, right? She was always thinking about how she could do things better, by the book.

  What did the book say about putting a genie back in its bottle? Probably to use trickery.

  Valerie halted once again. As she had told herself while heading out to confront the clone of Strand in his cloaked vessel, she had to do this her way. She wasn’t Captain Maddox. The captain was the sly trickster or the direct man of action. What was she?

  “I’m Lieutenant Valerie Noonan who does things by the book,” she said.

  There was no book about this, but there was her own guideline, how she liked to operate. That was with straightforward honesty. She didn’t care for games when emotions were involved.

  I miss the ace, she told herself. We’ve been drifting apart. I have to consciously spend more time with Keith if we’re going to make this work.

  Before Valerie could think any more about it, the super-android popped up in the middle of his machine. He had a calibrator in his hands. It beeped, and he made an adjustment to the machine.

  Just then, the super-android saw her. The head swiveled more fully around to stare at her.

  “Valerie,” the android said. “Why are you here?”

  She almost cried in pain. That was Galyan. He was inside the super-android, and he was going to destroy himself by playing around with a tricky Builder cube.

  “Oh, Galyan,” she said, hurrying toward him. “What have you done?”

  The super-android climbed out of the large machine. He set aside the calibrator and the instrument in his other hand. He sat on a crate and put his hands on his metallic-gleaming knees.

  “Look at me, Valerie. What do you think?”

  She stopped several feet before him, and she swallowed painfully. “You don’t look yourself, Galyan. You look like an android.”

  “I am out of the machine, Valerie. I am real again.”

  “No, Galyan. You’re inside a…a thing that was never meant for you. You’re acting strangely because…because you no longer have your emotions, the feelings that made you unique.”

  “Did the captain send you to tell me that?”

  “Yes,” Valerie said.

  The super-android nodded. “Do you not realize what he is doing? The captain knows I do not trust him much. So he is using you to speak his words for him.”

  “No, Galyan. I’ve always been honest with you. You deserve that because of everything you’ve done for each of us. You’ve saved our lives many times over. You’re…the most important member of the crew.”

  “No. That would be Captain Maddox.”

  “He would never have done all those things without Starship Victory, which means Driving Force Galyan. You’re no longer Driving Force Galyan. You have some of his…ways, but you’ve forgotten how to be yourself.”

  “I am building a machine that will allow me to use the great Builder seed.”

  “Galyan, don’t do it.”

  “The cube will give me greater power and being.”

  “No,” Valerie said. “The Builders quit a long time ago. Okay, sure, here’s one of their seeds. You’ll be smarter and maybe more powerful, but you won’t be Galyan. Do you know what a great man once said?”

  “Tell me, Valerie.”

  “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”

  The super-android cocked his head. “Are you saying I will lose my soul if I use the Builder seed?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. You won’t be Galyan. You’ll be this powerful thing with Builder thoughts and ways. Our good friend will disappear, though. You should come back and fix your AI systems. Reload them and remember who you really are.”

  “I like being outside, Valerie.”

  “Okay. Fine,” she said. “Then keep the…android, the robot, in storage. Maybe at times, you’ll load it up with your personality, walk around and do things. I could see how that would be useful. And maybe, because we don’t have the professor with us, you could study the Builder seed. Maybe you could work with Andros and explore it. But I wouldn’t hook it directly to you, if I were you. It wants y
ou to do that. It will take you over instead of you taking it over.”

  “I am setting safeguards in place.”

  Valerie shook her head. “I know you’re smart. You’re brave and you’re good, the real Galyan is, the one whose engrams ran the AI program. But the Builders…they’re too ancient and used up. They don’t understand humanity. I’m pleading with you, Galyan. For your own good, stop this. Reload yourself into the Adok designed computers. If you don’t…you’re going to kill us in the end, I just know it.”

  “Do you not trust me, Valerie?”

  “With my life,” she said. “What I don’t trust is that thing.” She pointed at the pulsating cube that Maddox had tried to destroy.

  “I am sorry, Valerie. This is something I must do.”

  She looked at the super-android. She was afraid for herself and the whole human crew, but she also felt pity for Driving Force Galyan, for the little Adok that had sacrificed so much for all of them all these years.

  It choked her up, and she felt this might be the last time she would ever get to talk to that Galyan.

  “My friend,” she whispered.

  Valerie came closer. Then she rushed near and gave the super-android a hug. She squeezed even though her strength was miniscule compared to it. She hugged him, kissed the metallic cheek and then turned away with a sob.

  She was losing a friend, possibly her best friend. Had Maddox known she would react this way? She almost believed it. Then she barely stifled a second sob and ran from the hangar bay as tears welled in her eyes.

  -60-

  With Meta’s help, Maddox left sickbay and went to the bridge. Just before entering the bridge, he removed his arm from Meta’s shoulder and walked through the hatch unaided. To the best of his ability, he moved normally as he strode to his command chair and sat down.

  He still felt weak, but he began asking for damage reports. The officers reported and gave a gloomy picture of the starship.

  Too many personnel were dead or badly off. Too many ship’s systems had taken hits by the Builder virus attack, and even more hits had come later when it had ripped apart those and many more systems for parts.