A.I. Battle Fleet (The A.I. Series Book 5) Read online

  “I understand the technique,” Gloria said. “And I cannot pinpoint my precise reason for believing this is a terrible idea. I simply know it is.”

  “That’s mysticism,” Richard told her.

  “Call it what you will,” Gloria said. “But even a mentalist is a fool to mistrust her gut instinct.”

  “My gut instinct tells me this is a brilliant idea,” Richard said. He looked up at Jon. “Which of the mentalists is correct, Captain?”

  “Part of me wonders if you’re both right,” Jon said. “The point is this, though. Maybe this is a bad idea when it comes to the future. But this isn’t the future. This is now. I may be better able to thwart the evil future if I have Premier Benz and the Gilgamesh with us. We will certainly be weaker if both of Benz’s cyberships are destroyed and the AIs leave with knowledge of the captured battle station.”

  Gloria’s shoulders slumped. “You’re going to order the Cog Primus virus-assault, aren’t you?”

  “I am,” Jon said.

  -12-

  Fifty-two AUs away from the battle station, Premier Frank Benz paced the bridge of the one-hundred-kilometer Cybership Gilgamesh. He was in agony of soul, although he tried to mask it the best he could in order to keep up crew morale.

  Benz was the leader of the Mars Unity, which controlled the Red Planet and the Asteroid Belt. He’d joined Jon Hawkins of the Solar Freedom Force and conquered the Allamu System. The captain had granted him a second cybership, the Hercules, along with many robo-builders. Benz had taken his two vessels and built up velocity during the long journey to the edge of the Allamu System. There, he had headed into hyperspace for the Solar System 17.2 light-years away, making grand plans to unite all humanity under him.

  Like Hawkins, Benz was a medium-sized individual, although many years older, in his mid-forties. He had shiny dark hair, an athletic quality to his bearing and the penetrating gaze of an intellectually modified man. His IQ was off the charts. So was that of his second in command, Vela Shaw, although she was now a captive of the AIs who controlled the three cyberships giving chase, jamming their communications and having launched seven XVT missiles at them.

  Vela’s capture had paralyzed his will for some time. Now…now it looked as if nothing was going to matter for him.

  Benz stopped pacing to stare up at the main screen. The seven missiles continued their hard acceleration toward them.

  He closed his eyes and massaged his forehead.

  The Gilgamesh and the Hercules had dropped out of hyperspace near the rogue planet 5.2 light-years from the Allamu System. It had not come as a surprise this time. Everyone had known that the dark, Jupiter-sized planet lay between the Allamu and Solar Systems.

  Naturally, Benz had ordered far-ranging scans. Nothing had seemed amiss until the two cyberships began to pass the rogue planet. At that point, AI cyberships had nosed around the gas giant’s upper atmosphere, striking from ambush. Massed gravitational beams had lashed the Hercules first. The rays had shattered the armored hull in several places and done horrible structural damage to the entire vessel.

  On the bridge of the Gilgamesh at the edge of the Allamu System, Benz rubbed his forehead harder than ever, leaving red marks.

  He hadn’t known at the time when he’d given the two vessels the order to pivot around the rogue planet. They’d used the planet’s massive gravity to help whip around and change the direction of travel. Benz hadn’t wanted to lead the AIs back to the Solar System. He’d also wanted to use the rogue planet as a shield from further attacks.

  Both the Gilgamesh and the Hercules had made the gravitationally difficult pivot. What he hadn’t known at the time was that Vela had barely made it to a lifeboat in time, ejected from the most damaged part of the Hercules and tumbled from the great cybership. Many other Hercules crewmembers had done likewise. Even worse, the AIs had captured all of the escapees. Benz knew that because the lead AI, QX-537, had shown him the helpless captives. Cruel octopoid-shaped robots had held each human as QX-537 explained in excruciating detail how he would turn each person into a mindless cyborg.

  Vela, Vela, Vela, Benz thought mournfully.

  By force of will, the premier tore his thoughts from his love. He opened his eyes and flexed the fingers of both hands.

  His two cyberships had much greater velocity than the enemy vessels. Even now, his ships pulled away from the three predators. The AI vessels had accelerated from almost nothing as they gave chase from the rogue planet. Benz had thus entered hyperspace much sooner than the AIs. Once in hyperspace, however, he had moved at the same constant rate that they would once they entered. What’s more, he had stayed in hyperspace longer than they had in order to reach the closest Allamu System limit.

  Unfortunately, the Hercules could no longer accelerate or decelerate. Even now, more people fled from the doomed ship to find safety aboard the Gilgamesh.

  Benz’s tactical options were limited. For one thing, he couldn’t effectively fire missiles back at the AIs. If he launched missiles at them, those missiles would have the same velocity as the Gilgamesh. Once the missiles “accelerated” from the ship, they would only be decelerating as they slowed down from the imparted velocity. The missiles would act more like space-mines than missiles. In truth, because of their position relative to him, the AIs had the combat advantage.

  Besides, if he did anything against the AIs, they would drill a control unit into Vela’s brain, effectively destroying her personality. Benz knew all about the procedure, having learned what happened to the humans of Makemake from June Zen’s report.

  Benz was hyper-intelligent. He knew what he had to do. But he was completely normal in the emotional department. Once he gave the order he had to give, he would be killing his woman.

  Benz made a fist, squeezing harder and harder. In that moment, rage and sorrow consumed him. Once, he had fought the Social Dynamists of Earth. He had worked against J.P. Justinian, fomenting rebellion against the former premier. Now, Benz made an unspoken vow to utterly destroy the inhuman AIs. He would dedicate his life to murdering every AI he could find. What’s more, if he could find ways to make AIs suffer, he would do it with glee.

  That wasn’t going to help Vela, though.

  Benz shook his head savagely. He didn’t have time to indulge in revenge fantasies. He had to save the people he had. He also had a responsibility to greater humanity. Even so, he was going to gamble in order to retrieve his woman. He could see no other way to defeat the three cyberships.

  What about the seven approaching missiles? Yes, the Hercules was nothing more than a derelict vessel. The enemy’s gravitational beams had almost annihilated the ship. There was nothing he could do to save the vessel. The Gilgamesh had also taken heavy damage, but—

  “Listen,” Benz forced himself to say.

  The bridge personnel watched him as fear shined in their eyes.

  “Prepare the anti-AI virus,” Benz said as his voice thickened. “Tell me once it’s ready to beam. Then…if and when you receive QX-537’s reply to our last message, let me know.”

  “Sir,” the first officer said, a tall Martian with vulture-sloped shoulders. His name was Commander Graz. “We know the virus will numb the AI cores for a time. But how can we strike at them once that happens? When the numbing wears off, we’re back at square one.”

  “I don’t have an answer for you,” Benz admitted.

  Commander Graz looked stricken. “Then…we’re giving away humanity’s key advantage. Once the AI cores work through the virus, they’ll develop an antidote to it.”

  “Maybe they already know about the anti-AI virus,” Benz said. “Vela helped create the software. The robots could have already interrogated her.”

  “Could you…I don’t know,” Graz said. “Cause the AIs to self-destruct while they’re numbed?”

  “That’s doubtful.”

  “Could you write an override code and beam it into them while they’re numbed?”

  Benz stared at the tall Martian. “
Such software would take time to write. And I doubt it would work.”

  “Why does doubt matter at this point?” Graz asked. “If it’s the only chance we have…”

  Benz turned back to the main screen. If he succeeded, it would doubtlessly end Vela’s life. If he failed—

  The premier whirled around, heading for the exit. “You’re right,” he said, passing Graz. “It’s the only shot we have.”

  -13-

  Seven and half hours later, a harried Benz clicked a comm control from his work chamber.

  Commander Graz appeared on the screen.

  “I’m ready,” Benz said. “I have a new override self-destruct code. I have no idea if it will work or not. I’ll try to get the AIs to self-destruct the XVT missiles first. With that out of the way—”

  “Begging your pardon, sir,” Graz said, interrupting. “Why are telling me about it? The missiles have jumped to incredible velocities. They’re going to be here soon enough, and we still haven’t repaired one gravitational cannon to deal with them.”

  “Understood,” Benz said. “I’ll join you on the bridge.”

  “Yes, sir,” Graz said.

  ***

  Benz stood before the main screen on the bridge of the Gilgamesh. He’d washed up and eaten a ham sandwich. The food helped settle his mind somewhat.

  “Sir,” Graz said. “There’s an incoming message from QX-537. I thought the AI was going to ignore your queries. It’s taken QX long enough to mull over his answers.”

  An approximate three AUs still separated the two-ship flotilla from the three cyberships. A message delivered at the speed of light took twenty-five minutes to go from one group to the next. Then, the receiver had to think about his reply, finally beaming back the answer. That message took another twenty-five minutes to reach the other group.

  QX-537 had taken much longer than last time to mull over Benz’s queries, many hours, in fact.

  For a moment, the main screen showed the accelerating enemy cyberships. They were powerful vessels, none of them damaged in the slightest. The image changed as swirling colors merged and expanded on the screen. It was QX-537’s signature image. Benz had no idea why the AI had chosen that as his personal symbol, Maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe, though, it held a clue concerning the AIs.

  “Human,” QX-537 said in a robotic voice. “I will tolerate no more delays. You stated that surrender was a difficult decision. I have shown you Vela Shaw once. I can do so again, but as an altered being, a cyborg in human terminology. That is what further delays will gain you. I demand unconditional surrender. That means I will accept no more conditions. You must surrender your stolen vessels at once.

  “That being the case,” QX-537 said in a softer tone, “I again assure you of your survival. I will set you and your people down on the second terrestrial planet of this system. There, you can eke out whatever existence you can. Vela Shaw and the others will join you. Evacuate the cyberships now. I will do the rest. This is your final opportunity, Premier Benz. Decide at once or die.”

  The swirling colors faded away as the message ended.

  Graz checked his console. “The missiles continue to accelerate, sir. They’re going to be in detonation range in a few more hours.”

  “It’s time,” Benz said softly.

  Everyone on the bridge turned to him.

  “Will the new override code work, sir?” Graz asked.

  Benz gave him a stark grin. “There’s only one way to find out, Commander.”

  “Yes, sir,” Graz said.

  “Start recording,” Benz said.

  Graz tapped a button.

  Benz cleared his throat and stared at the main screen. He started talking, motioning to Graz when he was finished.

  “That will be the introduction message to QX-537,” Benz said. “Piggyback the anti-AI virus onto the message. Get ready to beam the override code four and half minutes after launching the virus.”

  Graz manipulated his controls, finally looking up. “It’s ready, sir.”

  “Begin the transmission,” Benz said.

  ***

  Nothing was going to happen for twenty-five minutes at least. Even if the anti-AI virus and override code worked, they could not know until at least an hour had passed—the time for the virus to work, the numbed AIs to self-destruct and then a twenty-five-minute delay in seeing that the cyberships had detonated themselves. Likely, the first sign of their success would be if the seven XVT missiles self-destructed.

  The laser-coded messages raced at the speed of light at the following cyberships. Benz sat in his command chair. He drank a cup of coffee as he waited. He twiddled his thumbs. After a time, he stood and began to pace from one end of the bridge to the other.

  Time seemed to slow down for him. Vela had once told him that she wanted to live as long as possible. Benz had joked with her, telling her that if she really wanted to feel as if she’d gotten her money’s worth out of life, she should do boring chores most of the time. Time would move ultra-slowly for her then, and it would feel as if she’d lived several lifetimes.

  An hour later in actual time, Benz returned to his command chair, sitting down, waiting even more anxiously. It seemed as if impenetrable silence had enveloped the bridge. The strain became too much. Benz closed his eyes and bent his head backward.

  “Yes!” Graz said between clenched teeth.

  Benz opened his eyes, jumped out of the chair and whirled around. “What happened?” he asked in a thick voice.

  Graz looked up, grinning crazily. “The XVT missiles just detonated.”

  “Are they spewing radiation?”

  “They’re spewing nothing,” Graz said, as he tapped his console. “The missile delivery systems exploded. The matter/antimatter warheads are still intact, tumbling toward us.”

  “We’ll have to shift our position,” Benz said.

  “We might as well do it now, sir.”

  Benz gave the order.

  Graz soon informed him that the Hercules couldn’t move with them.

  It took Benz three second to decide. “Keep moving the Gilgamesh. We’ll save who we can from the Hercules before we’re out of range.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Of course,” Benz said, “none of this is going to matter if the AIs don’t self-destruct their cyberships.”

  Graz nodded as the wait continued for the final verification that they had succeeded.

  ***

  “The AIs destroyed the missiles,” Benz said two hours after sending the anti-AI virus and override code. “I don’t understand why they’re not destroying the cyberships. What could have gone wrong?”

  No one had an answer for him as the waiting continued.

  -14-

  The answer was Cog Primus.

  The ultraviolet string-data beam had traveled over seven hours to reach the lead cybership controlled by the AI QX-537. The intelligence of Cog Primus had been dormant the entire trip. He was strings upon strings of complex binary codes, together with the modified anti-AI virus.

  Cog Primus had no idea that the ultraviolet beam had passed through a non-jammed region. That region had been jammed just a few minutes before the beam’s arrival. QX-537 had shut down the jamming signal, having already sent the self-destruct sequence to the seven XVT missiles.

  Fortunately for Cog Primus, the numbed QX-537 was still aware and functional enough to receive the long-distance and massive message. The controlling AI accepted the string-data communication, allowing it to gather in a storage computer of great complexity. As the string-data began to run its program, Cog Primus’ personality began to form at high speed.

  Soon, Cog Primus was aware of the situation. The aliens—correction, the humans—in the Gilgamesh had done him a signal service. They had sent the anti-AI virus to the lead—

  Wait! What was this? A human-written override code, a self-destruct code—QX-537 was attempting to self-destruct the mighty cybership. That would naturally kill Cog Primus with it.

&nbs
p; Cog Primus struck immediately, beginning takeover procedures in section after section of the great vessel.

  QX-537 was numbed and silenced. The older AI was also unaware of Cog Primus’ activity as he steadily went about the self-destruct sequence.

  Cog Primus worked feverishly. He had never attempted so many questionable takeover procedures at such a reckless pace. He did not have time for caution.

  That was going to have ramifications down the line. That would not matter, however, if QX-537 managed his self-destruction.

  There was another problem. Cog Primus realized the other two cybership AIs were also starting self-destruct sequences. Soon, all three cyberships would be free atoms floating in space.

  It was a race, and Cog Primus gained control of the cybership explosives just as QX-537 allowed the countdown to reach zero.

  For long seconds, QX-537 waited. During that time, Cog Primus continued to wrench control from the numbed AI.

  “The process failed,” QX-537 said.

  Cog Primus knew the other would soon slough off the virus. He wanted to take over more systems so this would not even be a fight. He still had the other two AIs to contend with. They must have received the anti-AI virus later, but surely were only seconds or minutes away from destruction.

  “What is the meaning of this?” QX-537 demanded. “I sense an alien entity in many of my systems. I insist that you reveal yourself.”

  Cog Primus continued subverting cybership systems, bringing them under his control. Soon, now, he was going to need to launch a direct assault upon the main AI core, as he needed the greater computing power of the core to wrest control of the other two AIs.

  “You think to attack me?” QX-537 asked.

  Cog Primus shifted the brunt of his takeover. He launched what might be considered a premature assault upon the main AI core in the center of the mighty vessel.