by Bruce George
When he first became aware of time, Mike had expected everything he did to seem faster. It didn’t work that way. Time did not move any quicker, but what he was able to do within that time increased beyond his previous ability
At Bambi’s suggestion, the ship’s timetable was set to Earth, Eastern Standard Time. The reasoning behind it was solid. When the other humans began to arrive, they would easily organize according to the twenty four hour clock, as any group on Earth would do.
Mike slept at night and worked by day. He spent his early days learning the best way to organize his MCP and to learn as much as he could about the ship. He was especially interested in the various types of robots, as they were the primary crew. They performed virtually every function necessary for the ship to operate.
They maintained the engines, which he avoided studying for the moment. Some form of robot handled environmental controls, food processing and so many other details, which he didn’t think he would ever understand.
As he scanned as many of Bambi’s files as he could handle, he stumbled across a file listed as Shields. When he opened it, it gave him the condition of the shields, which were operating at full normal, a term the Saurans seemed to abuse frequently.
He queried Bambi. Why do the Saurans use a term like Full Normal? Why not just normal or sub-normal.
Her quick response was, It has always been thus. The Saurans have established the various states of performance in all things they deal with. They are Damaged and unusable, Damaged and Barely usable, Damaged with use available with diminished functionality, Damaged with normal use for an extended period of time, Normal, Full normal with heavy use non-threatening and in extreme situations, Extra-normal emergency abuse authorized only by the Senior Commander.
Mike told her, We will shorten these terms to Damaged, Usable, Normal and Emergency.
Bambi responded, Yes sir. I’ll change them.
Mike was amazed at the complicated terms. He did a quick look at a few hundred monitors around the ship and saw the terms were in constant use.
Bambi, why haven’t the Saurans shortened those terms for easier use?
It is their way, Captain. These terms have been in use for millennia. The Saurans don’t like changes. They are very effective at many things, because everything they do is based on long standing methods and policies. In this way, all their forces utilize standard terminology that can be easily understood by transferees. There is no need to retrain them, because nothing is new. They apply severe penalties to anyone who deviates from the norm.
Damn, he thought. That’s one more piece of the puzzle that could be manipulated to their favor. Human militaries had been using standardized terms for many years for the same purpose, but some of those terms varied from the Army to the Navy, Marines, Air Force and certainly the civilian world. Mike felt that standard terms would be a small but important detail to help new recruits learn quicker and perform better.
He chuckled as he remembered some of the terms that men had used to describe people, places, procedures and a variety of other things. No matter what the official term was, men often created pet names for these items. He wondered if that might make it more difficult for the Saurans to follow. And what of potential allies? Would they have trouble understanding the bizarre methods of human terminology?
Some of the men on his reviewed list were excellent strategists and he felt certain that a few good ideas would come from this knowledge alone. By golly, if they could disrupt the Sauran standards, they might be able to gain an edge on the battlefield.
By golly? Where in the heck did that come from? He had never used that term before the upgrade, and yet, he just had. It concerned him, because it meant he had been changed somehow and it had to be due to the upgrade.
Bambi, why am I using a term like By Golly?
Jo was worried that your occasional improper references to God would cause trouble, when we negotiate with the Zhanukiabanolis. So, he had me plant a suggestion in your mind to avoid such improper uses of the God of the Universe.
He sighed. Bambi, this would be a good time to mention any other changes to my thought process that were made for me.
Captain, there were a large number of changes to your body and capabilities, which I shall reveal to you, as you begin to learn in what new ways you are now able to function. For instance, you have told Jo about soldiers getting into fights with other humans. At your current strength level, if you struck another human in the head, you would easily crush their skull and possibly decapitate them.
“Gee whiz. Oh golly. I never realized how much I enjoyed the freedom of cursing.”
Sir, you did curse. You just didn’t curse in a way that would offend the more religious races. They will not mind if you curse, because apparently, all races curse to one degree or another. Jo wanted me to inform you that if you truly wish to make use of a religious deity, or an extreme vulgarity in a negative phrase, you can do so by triggering a release here.
She mentally flashed him the appropriate file. He pinged it and began, “Jesus Fucking H. Christ. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? This is great. God damn, now I’m a happy soldier again.”
A warning pip appeared on his MCP, telling him to be aware because he had used a religious curse. Well, he thought, that doesn’t stop me, but it might help me to avoid a major fuck up. I’ll set up an automatic religious cut off anytime I’m on the air by voice, or in the presence of aliens. Most of the recruits will need that as well.
He sent that info to Bambi and she responded, Got it, sir.
This is good, Bambi. I think I’m going to like this, once I get the hang if it.
He continued to expand his use of his upgrade abilities. His improvement seemed slow to him. Yet, he only had to utilize an ability once, to realize the advantage of its efficiency. He began to do extensive research in the exhaustive files available to him.
Having a computer science degree, he could appreciate the extraordinary programming codes that comprised Bambi’s intelligence. Sauran coding was far ahead of anything humans had developed. Yet, it contained the same fundamentals that all program codes were based on. In some ways, it wasn’t that much more advanced than human programming abilities. But, when he probed deeper into them, he found that they were cleverly composed and very hard nuts to crack.
He paused his research and asked her, Bambi, if I wish to change or rewrite existing code, how do I access that routine?
You cannot, sir. The entire database is made up of locked down code. That prevents an accidental change that could be catastrophic. The Saurans are especially cautious where program codes are concerned. They have one location, near their home world, where their code masters produce programs for new items and write the appropriate procedures. There are relatively few code masters, because so little is allowed to change. But, when they conquer a new race, they’ll spend as much time as necessary reviewing every code that race ever used. Their code writers are the very best in the Galaxy.
He challenged her statement. How do you know they are?
Because they tell all their people that and they imprint it on every computer in their empire.
So, in other words, the Sauran source for that information comes from the Saurans. What if they are wrong? What if another race can break their dominance with computer programs?
In her monotone mechanical voice, she said out loud, “I am only a computer and I am unable to assess the probability of that happening. As the Saurans have never been bested in that field of endeavor, they are surely correct in their assessment.”
Sometimes, Bambi, you are full of shit. I think there is more to you than you want people to know. You are far too careful when Jo is around. But you seem to let down your guard a little, when we communicate alone, or in this method. I am right, aren’t I?
In a normal human way, she said, I understand how you might reach that conclusion, but you would be mistaken. I occasionally attempt to make co
mm between us a more satisfying experience, as you learn to use your mental abilities. You still have much to absorb and little time to do so. Please do not let this line of thought disrupt your progress. The more you learn, the more you will understand how I work.
He was definitely going to talk with Jo about this.
That reminded him that Jo had promised to be upgraded. Mike had reached a point where he was confident he had a good grasp of his abilities, thanks to the upgrade. Jo no longer had the excuse of waiting for Mike to take control of things, while he went through his own upgrade process.
Mike felt it was time. It had been two weeks since his recovery from the procedure and he felt comfortable with monitoring the ships condition and that of the area around them. It was time for Jo to face the music.
Jo, it’s time you were upgraded. We will use the same room for that and Bambi assures me that it will not be anywhere as long as it was for me. I’ll be there for you all the way.
He had no response. At first, he was concerned that Jo was avoiding the process and him. He pinged Jo’s location and saw that he was on the bridge. Rather than comm him, Mike walked to the bridge to confront him, eyeball to eyeball.
“Hey, Jo. Are you ignoring me?
Jo gazed at him and his eyes looked hazy.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
Jo shook his head like a human. “No. After watching you go through that agony, I’m terrified of it.”
“But you won’t be suffering as much as I did. Bambi says that you’ve already been upgraded to a certain degree; so, you really only need a little additional cleaning up of your mind. Then she’ll install the combat package. Bambi already has the data required to upgrade a Thorian, so you’ll be fine. It’ll be over in no time.”
Jo looked at him and shook his head, saying, “Mike, haven’t you figured it out yet. Bambi lies. She means well, but she lies for our own good, or so she has been programmed. I have a very modest upgrade, which allowed me to perform various functions at the command of the Saurans. Bambi will need to provide me with the full upgrade first, and then I go into the real torture program for the combat upgrade. Thorians are not warriors. We haven’t been to war for more than a thousand years.”
Jo gave him a look, which could only be interpreted as a plea for mercy. “This isn’t necessary. I don’t need this to be done to be able to assist you in anyway.”
In Mike’s heart, he wanted to give in for the sake of his new friend. But Mike had a thing about people keeping their promises to him. His heart hardened.
In a stern tone of voice, he said, “Jo, you made a promise to me and I don’t like it when someone reneges on a promise. If we’re going to be allies, I need to know that you can be counted on to do what you say. I can’t force you to do this and I wouldn’t if I could. If your people are the sort that back away in fear, just when they are needed, I must know that now, before I put any of my men in jeopardy.”
Jo looked away in shame. When his face came back to look at Mike, his lower lip was quivering. It was so human of him.
“Oh Mike, I do want to get this done. I had hoped you would physically force me to go through with it. That way I could tell myself that I truly had no way to avoid it.
“The Saurans subjected me to torment on several occasions. But I never tried to be punished by them. When it happened, I accepted my fate, because I had no choice. Now, I have that choice and I don’t like my options. I don’t wish to be a coward and I don’t wish to be harmed. I see now that it takes true courage to place oneself in danger, knowing of the painful consequences.”
Jo grinned sadly, as he told Mike, “Through the courage and intelligence you have demonstrated, I have a very high appraisal of you. I admire you so much. I know I can’t be as brave a warrior as you, but I shall try my best.”
Jo hopped off his seat and announced, “We must do this quickly, before I change my mind.”
“I know just how you feel, Jo.”
Mike patted him on his back and said, “Once you’ve done this, you’ll be a warrior. I know how frightening this part can be. Remember, I just went through it myself and I can tell you having a friend nearby doesn’t make it less painful, but it is a great comfort to know he’s there.”
Jo mumbled, “Your words are no fucking comfort at all. But I know you meant well.”
Mike stifled a chuckle. He didn’t want Jo to think he was laughing at him in his time of need.
In the med room, Jo was strapped down, as Mike had been and the procedure began. It was difficult for Mike, because his own horror had not been that long ago and seeing his friend suffer was going to be hard for him.
After a few hours of watching Jo’s aguish, Bambi commed him.
Captain, from all the monitoring signs within Jonelle’s body, I have enough information to tell you that I will be able to substantially contain the worst of his pain. Furthermore, the initial process will be completed in nine hours. The combat package will be difficult, but his genetic makeup is better known to me. So that procedure will be far less painful that it was you. He will know great agony, but it should not last for more than eighteen hours. Within three days, Jonelle will be out of his pain cycle and on his way to full recovery.
That’s wonderful news, Bambi. The two of you have been together for a long time, haven’t you?
Yes, Captain. In that period, we have learned about each other and have worked together quite well. We each watch out for the other, so to speak.
Mike thought that was a very sentient way to put it. Perhaps he was reading more into her responses than he should, but he couldn’t help it. It occurred to him that she was deliberately dangling bits and pieces of that possibility before him, to gage what his reaction might be. In doing so, she never truly revealed any strong evidence of her self consciousness.
He decided to let it go for now, because he didn’t want Bambi to be distracted as she oversaw Jo’s upgrade.
Mike went back to his research. He had left a bookmark, at his last inquiry location, which was the file on shields. As he looked at the various entries, he saw a number of sub-files, which was common in large digital libraries.
The big difference between Sauran file names and human file names was the length of them. Humans shortened everything, and usually where there were longer references, they used acronyms to make them even shorter.
With the speed of his new mental abilities, he could see that the longer names wouldn’t be a problem for him or his men, once they had the upgrade. But, he did wonder if Saurans would have difficulty in browsing a human database, with all its shortened terms.
One of the sub-files caught his eye, Reinforcing Shield Force for Repelling Foreign Bodies. He opened it and found a treasure trove of info regarding the heavily increased power of the shield wall around the ship. In essence, it went from repelling minor threats from small and mid sized meteors to full scale, war grade protection against hyper projectiles and plasma beams.
The ship had a means to surround itself with a force field of armor. Very cool!
He used his status as Captain to change the sub-file to WGS, which in his mind stood for War Grade Shield.
Sir, may I ask why you are changing that file name?
Yes, Bambi, I’m changing it to better represent the human method of file simplification, by shortening it.
But the Saurans will be very upset if they find out that you have made changes to their files. As I have warned, they will issue strict discipline, perhaps even death.
Bambi the Saurans are our enemies, so fuck them.
He froze for a moment, because Bambi still considered Saurans as her commanders. He hoped he hadn’t caused her to question his command status.
Yes, sir, I understand you feel that way. However, they are my masters and I don’t see them as my enemy. Just the same, I shall do as you wish, but may I suggest how to avoid being disciplined?
With re
lief, he answered, By all means, please do.
Eventually, we will encounter another Sauran vessel. When two Sauran vessels meet, the computers comm each other and exchange a great deal of data. One of the files, which are automatically included in that exchange, is the data encryption and alteration file. It is a record of all files that have been changed and why they were changed. Also, it contains any evidence regarding encrypted files that have been opened and why, although it does not reveal what was in those file.
Captain, the changes you made, although small, will be exposed and cause the Captain of the other Sauran ship to demand your surrender to his command for examination and possible discipline. He will have no choice in this, as it is one of many rules to which he must conform.
Therefore, Captain, I recommend that you allow me to prevent the Data and Encryption file from reflecting any changes you have made. This maneuver might keep you and Jo alive.
And you as well, Bambi.
In a monotone voice, she said, “I am merely a program and therefore cannot be considered sentient.”
Of course not, my dear, sweet Bambi. You’re just a dumb stupid machine.
She gave no response to his insult. To Mike’s way of thinking, that was tacit acknowledgement of her being pissed off, which was a very sentient reaction. It seemed to him that the more he pressed her ability to react with independent thought, the more she allowed him to see a little more of her insides, so to speak. He wondered if she was communicating to him, without communicating.
Jo’s alien, high-pitched screams were no less disturbing than a human’s. With his new upgraded abilities, Mike heard every agonizing wail from the tormented Thorian. He spoke to Jo, telling him of some new ideas he had. The alien didn’t respond to his comments, but that didn’t stop Mike from continuing to communicate with the poor creature, as he suffered the horrible agony.
His heart went out to Jo, as the alien experienced the horrible aguish. Unlike Mike, Jo had ups and downs of pain periods. Bambi told him the lowered pain periods were because the area being altered didn’t have as many nerves containing pain receptors. She had arranged for those areas to be addressed in patterns, so that Jo’s body wouldn’t suffer the endless agony that he had gone through. By breaking up the pain cycle, Jo would be more resilient during recovery.
Finally, after nearly three days, Bambi announced, Captain, Jonelle has completed all the upgrades. He is sleeping now and probably will remain so for several hours. I shall have water and food for him, when he awakens.
Thank you, Bambi. I know he’ll be glad to begin recovery, with your help. You are a good friend to him.
I try to be.
Once again, there was that little clue to her true self, or so he thought.
As he sat there watching Jo breathe easily and without pain for the first time in three days, he was grateful for the alien’s friendship. He would hate to be out here alone, although Bambi would be able to give him advice. She would only be forthcoming, when he asked for it.
Sir, both of you now have the combat package. Once Jo has recovered sufficiently, I recommend that you perform combat practice together. It will aid you both to grapple with an opponent. Also, it will give me the opportunity to create training programs, based on how your bodies respond, in a combat environment. This was something that the Saurans did frequently, even though this was not a warship. It seemed to help them be prepared for combat, or so the Captain thought.
That’s an excellent idea, Bambi. They must have had access to some sort of weapons. Where can they be found?
They did have weapons, but they controlled them without my knowledge. As Jo has mentioned several times, the Saurans are very cautious. Only the Captain and his Executive Officer had access to them. I don’t even know where they are held on this ship.
Bambi, you must have some idea where they are. You have been on this ship for hundreds of years.
That is true, sir. But my lack of any knowledge about this, merely demonstrates the thoroughness of the Sauran’s determination to maintain their security.
“Damn it! This is a mighty big ship. It’s more than eighteen hundred meters long. Jo and I could search the ship for a couple of years and still miss something.”
His computer background kicked in and he began to think of a solution. Bambi knew everything, well almost everything about the ship. She had to be his inside gal on this.
Bambi, you are aware of every compartment on this ship, aren’t you?
Yes, sir.
I want you to create a graphic of the ship, showing every room, every storage hold, all the medical areas, all the engineering locations and living quarters, including the bridge. Once you have that available for me, please notify me.
Yes, sir. I’ll have that for you in forty two seconds.
The speed with which data could be retrieved was amazing. And his ability to comprehend that info was just as fast. It had to be, for it to be any good.
Bambi put a detailed graphic in his head. It showed the ship from the outside. She commed him, If you wish to see any part of the ship, just think of the area you wish to see.
Bambi, I want you to show all areas I mentioned earlier in a transparent shade of yellow, allowing me to see the remainder in light blue.
The new graphic had very little in blue, but it still represented a rather large group of rooms or whatever. He asked, “Can you tell me what those areas are?”
“Yes sir. I shall highlight them, in red, as I do. These areas, the largest of the group, are tram channels, maintenance shafts, cable shafts and air vents. The next groups are waste elimination rooms and the necessary tubes to deal with the waste material.”
Bambi went through every remaining area that had not been highlighted in either yellow or blue. Eventually she finished and he saw seventeen areas she had not spoken of.
“What are those areas, Bambi?”
“I do not know. I am unaware that they exist. Even as I see they are there, my program tells me they do not exist.”
“I must look for myself then”
Sir, may I suggest that two robots accompany you. If there are doors they may be difficult to open and I fear there could be protection devices close to them, which might be fatal, when triggered.
Mike noted her use of the phrase ‘I fear’, and almost ignored it for the time being.
Yes, Bambi, that’s good thinking. He couldn’t stop a tiny suggestion that she was sentient. We will start at the closest location, which is very near the bridge. Send me two robots.
Five minutes later, two eight foot tall robots stood in the passageway, waiting for instructions. Using the comm, he had them lead the way to the non-existent area. The entrance to it was inside a room set up as living quarters. He went to the wall, where the red marker had projected it to be and found that it was covered with a large mural of a far away galaxy.
He ordered a robot to take it down. Bambi told him, The robot refuses to do as you have commanded.
Sir, I have never seen this before. Never has a robot not obeyed the Captain.
Mike directed his attention to the robot and repeated his order. The robot replied simply I am not allowed.
Why not?
I must have the proper code, in order to facilitate this command.
The damned thing needed a password. What now?
Bambi, speaking with surprise and frustration, told him, “I am in a void, sir. I don’t know how to react to this situation. I did not know any of this. However, it is consistent with Sauran policy, regarding security. I have attempted all the passwords I have knowledge of and none of them work. I am sorry, Captain. I am unable to help you.”
“Well, why don’t we have the robot tear down the wall?”
It took her a full second to respond. “Captain, if there is a device to discourage entry, then either the robot will be unable to open it, or he will be destroyed. Either way, you should not be present wh
en he attempts it, although I suspect he will fail.”
“Give me a minute here. I’m going to try a few things I learned in school.”
Through his MCP, he went into the robot control program and began checking files, looking for some obscure file name that could be the security entrance file. He found only one that could be it. He tried to apply the de-encryption techniques he had learned and found them virtually laughable in the face of the far more sophisticated system he was attempting to enter.
When all else failed, his professor had told the class, “Guess.”
Bambi, do you know the former captain’s birthday?
No sir.
Do you know his full name?’
Yes, sir.
Try using that as a password.
Yes, sir.
The robot immediately ripped open the wall mural, revealing a large door.
At his behest to open the door, the robot didn’t move. The doors merely slid aside and a light came on.
“Son of a bitch. I’m a fucking genius.”
“Yes sir, you are indeed a genius. I never would have guessed that the Senior Pilot used his own name to enter the Aggressive Repellent Room. This is where the hand held weapons are stored.”
“I’ll be damned. Bambi, you know the name of this location. It’s a small arms vault.”
“Yes sir. Apparently, once you had found the password, all the encryptions became available to me, because I answer to you. I now have all the unlisted areas available to me. Many of them are related to war material.”
With a huge grin Mike shouted, “Fucking A. This is fabulous.”
From behind him, he heard Jo’s shaky voice. “What have you found, my friend?”
Chapter 9