Harris replied, "Give us warning again if you're doing another one of those. Two of our squad members went a meter into the air with that bounce. I think we have a busted leg on one, checking her now."
"One more round and at an angle in three... two... one... mark."
The ship was again rocked as the decks going up and forward for several bulkheads were shredded with flying metal and other debris.
Harris replied, "Hyperextended knee. They'll survive. We're on the move."
"I count about hundred fifty of those warriors on your end of the ship. Front decks are impassable, at least for a short while. And there were no hull breaches. I'm tempted to send a half dozen rounds forward. Think I could gut that half of the ship."
Harris nodded. "Do it. And what's the bio status look like between here and that bay?"
"Twenty, maybe twenty-five. Most are on the other decks. Nothing moving toward the stairwell behind you. I count two coming up on the one you just passed."
"Hold it... got 'em."
The group in front of you is about fifty meters from your point. I count half to the right and half left. Parallel hall has the same ambush waiting."
"We'll manage. Hit those forward decks while you have the chance."
Tawn dialed up the power to just over half. A dozen rounds were released. Debris flew forward, trashing everything in sight, hollowing out a hundred meter diameter hole going twelve bulkheads forward. The drives of the great ship shut down. The warship itself falling into a slow roll.
Harris, the colonel, and their team pushed on, clearing the waiting Denzee from the hallway in front of them before achieving their objective, the aft port bay.
Tawn said, "Sixteen bios in there besides Gandy. Looks like he's still aboard the ship."
Plasma fire was heard over the comm. "They were cutting their way in. Gandy? You in there?"
No answer was returned.
The colonel said, "Check that pipe going in the side and those cylinders. He's been gassed."
The team spread out, taking down the Denzee who occupied the bay in only a handful of seconds. Four remained at the door as Harris sent the command for the hatch to open. It did, only moving half way due to damage.
Harris squeezed through. Gandy was hunched over, still sitting in the pilot's seat. A belt was released and the unconscious body of their teammate thrown over a shoulder. Harris hopped down to the deck.
Tawn came over the comm. "Hold your position. I have most of those remaining troops converging on your position. I'm coming to you. And... we have another problem. Five Ratoons are heading our way."
The Bangor exited the bay with the throttle near full. A roll up and over the fuselage of the warship saw it slowing rapidly as she steered it into the open bay. The hatch was released as the ship came to a stop.
Harris said, "We're leaving it. Have someone set the auto-destruct."
The colonel replied, "I've got this."
"Come on!" Tawn yelled.
Harris was the first aboard, carrying the still unconscious Gandy. "He was the only one on there. Must have come by himself."
The hatch closed as the last of the Biomarines climbed aboard. The bay began to fill with Denzee warriors. Tawn backed the ship out, releasing several rounds into the deck in front of the approaching horde. A spray of fracturing metal from the deck plating ripped through the alien defenders.
Harris placed Gandy on a bench where another Biomarine strapped him in. "No other bios?"
Tawn shook her head. "None of size. At least on that ship."
As the Bangor raced out of the open bay, a voice came over the comm. "Mr. Gruberg? Tell me that's you!"
Tawn answered, "Sharvie?"
"Yes! We're out here on the hull! We hid outside as they took the ship into the bay. Trish was knocked out in the blast. Gandy insisted!"
Tawn ran a scan. "Gotcha. Be right there."
Harris said, "The first of those Ratoons are practically on top of us."
"Well we aren't leaving them here. Sharvie, I'll be sliding right up to you, get ready to push off that hull and into the airlock."
"We're not actually on the hull. We're free-floating."
Then get ready for an active pickup. Be prepared to be banged around a little."
Harris rushed to the lock. "I'll be inside."
The inner door opened, shutting behind the Biomarine. Tawn rushed to their position, turning the ship to its side as she closed to within meters. The outer airlock opened, collecting the two. Harris held fast as the door closed.
"We have them!"
Tawn pushed the throttle full. "This is gonna be tight."
The Bangor picked up speed as they moved away from the crippled warship. Harris came into the cabin with Sharvie and Trish, laying Trish on the floor for the squad medic to assist. Harris hurried forward, dropping into his chair before clipping his lap belt and cinching it tight.
"If you're not strapped in you'll wanna be!"
He took the controls. "I got this. All we have to do is keep that warship between us and that other Ratoon."
Tawn shook her head. "We don't have the distance we need."
The lights on the approaching ship dimmed as the disc on front began to glow blue-white. Harris pushed the stick hard down. The hull temperature rapidly heated to 800 degrees before dropping off.
Harris pulled hard back on the stick, rolling the Bangor over and heading straight for the incoming ship.
Tawn asked, "What are you doing?"
"We can't get away fast enough. Taking out that weapon is our only shot."
A comm came in from the Hailstorm. "We've got this."
All six rail cannons on the starboard side let loose at the same time. The nose of the approaching Ratoon dented and crumpled inward around the disc shaped weapon. Harris steered to port, bringing the Bangor back around.
"Thanks Major. Don't know if we'd have made it in time."
"The pleasure is all ours, Mr. Gruberg. Now let's get out of here before those other four get within range."
The two Human ships moved into free space. Enough distance was had and a jump portal to the Retreat was opened. Both ships slipped safely through to the other side.
— Chapter 17 —
* * *
Gandy came to with Harris standing over him. "Should I kick your ass now or later?"
"Trish, Sharvie?"
"They're OK. But you almost got us all killed."
"Trish pushed for it."
Harris chuckled. "Really, you're gonna push your sister out the airlock on this one?" Harris crossed his arms. "And I suppose you weren't willing?"
"We were all willing, Mr. Gruberg. We thought we were doing the right thing."
Harris sighed. "While both Tawn and I are grateful for your concern, we left you at Midelon for a reason. This is war. You try not to fight war with emotion. You weigh the pros and cons of a move against the risks involved. We have experience with making those decisions. You don't. Next time, stay right where we ask you to."
"Yes sir."
Harris reached down, grabbing his shoulder with a slight squeeze. "Don't take this lashing the wrong way. Part of what bothered us is because we're fond of the lot of you. You're like the missing pieces to the puzzle that we are. Know what I'm saying?"
"I guess, well, no. What are you saying?"
Harris chuckled. "We like you. Don't do that again."
"Got it. How's Trish?"
"She apparently took a wallop to the side of the skull. Looks like a knockout with a mild concussion. Doctor says she should be fine in a couple days, but we'll have to keep a watch."
"And the Gooch?"
Harris shook his head. "The Gooch we had to leave behind with the self-destruct on. Went off just before we jumped. Left quite the mess. What made you think of dumping Trish and Sharvie?"
"I just wanted them to be safe. I thought if the Ratoon left, they could comm you for help."
Harris nodded. "Wasn't actually a bad move. Didn
't make a difference, but not bad."
How's the Bangor?"
"She had a couple hot flashes from that weapon. Minor damage to that Denzee plating, but nothing Mr. Morgan's team can't fix. The Hailstorm took a real beating. We lost a dozen crewmen from those cannons. All six turrets down one side were badly burned from the heat. The colonel will be having a ceremony to bury the ashes in the memorial garden tomorrow."
"How long will she be in repair?"
"At least three weeks. Good news is she'll have a couple Legion sisters by then. And we should have a half dozen centurion shields ready to help us out. Bad news is Jellon is fully under control of the Denzee. Two million colonists spaced. The Earthers lost another hundred fifty ships trying to stop them.
"We disabled nine Ratoons. That leaves them with fifteen. The colonel has shuttles out looking for a repair base. The Denzee will have to resupply it at some point. And once we find it we'll use another one of those boson bombs to freeze things up while we go in for the kill."
"Fifteen Ratoons. Will be good to see them defeated. Any other sign of the Denzee anywhere?"
"The Earthers said they've had sightings at four other colonies. Just scout ships, but any of them could be the next target. One of those was Eden."
Gandy grimaced. "That would be disastrous. Especially if we can't finish off those Ratoons."
"Let's hope they spend a few weeks consolidating Barrier and Jellon."
A day later, Gandy and Trish were released from medical care. A memorial service was conducted for those who had fallen. With repairs of the Bangor complete, a jump was made back to Midelon.
Five bots were standing in the grassy field, lightly applauding as the ship settled to the ground. Harris shook his head as he chuckled at the sight.
He stood and stopped. "Gandy? How'd you get out of Midelon space without Farker?"
"I asked Alex if he could make it happen. He momentarily switched off the signal that prevents jumps. It took some convincing by all three of us, and he scanned the area we were jumping to to make sure no one else was coming through, so we went."
"Didn't realize he could do that. I mean, disable whatever prevents the creation of a wormhole."
"How do you think we're able to open the comm wormholes?"
"Guess I never thought about it."
Gandy hopped to the ground. "We're gonna need a new shuttle."
Tawn said, "Not sure we want one if we have to go out and rescue you because you won't listen."
Trish replied, "I think we learned our lesson. I still have a ringing in my left ear."
Harris stared at the three of them. "Promise me now that you won't do this again."
Three hands were raised in a swearing fashion. The bots welcomed their masters return.
Idiot asked, "Was the mission a success?"
Harris shook his head as he walked toward the supply hut. "No. We only managed to take out nine of the twenty-four Denzee warships. Another two million citizens dead because we're unable to defend ourselves."
"That is unfortunate."
Harris grabbed an MRE before finding a seat. "Yeah. If our government wasn't off in la la land we could have taken the Denzee out when they first arrived. And we could have put the Earthers in their place where they would no longer be a threat. Sad thing is we finally have the means to do this and no one has any interest in permanently resolving these issues."
"I've done a quick analysis of your encounters with the Denzee. Given the new ships you will have in the coming weeks and your record against those Ratoons I would say the outlook is very much in your favor."
Harris nodded. "While I like your optimism, there are two big issues waiting in the wings. If we defeat the Denzee and drive them back, the Earthers will soon be in a vastly superior position. And the emperor wants desperately to rule us all. Second to that is the fact that the Denzee could easily have another fleet sitting at the ready. If we knock out those remaining fifteen Ratoons, who's to say they don't have another fifty they are waiting to send in?"
"I see. I suppose there are many risks for humanity beyond the current issue. Perhaps I will get with the other assistants during our free time. There may be solutions to these problems that only require our careful thought."
Harris chuckled as he bit into a bogler steak. "You figure out solutions and I might just have to change your name to something more respectful."
"What would your first choices be?"
"Let's see... I could use Moron, or Imbecile, or Cretin. Each of those is a step up from Idiot. Can't use Ignoramus because you're not uneducated. You're not really a fool either. And Dumbass just doesn't fit."
"What you propose is not much of an elevation from my current moniker, but I suppose it would be progress."
"Hey, play your cards right and I could see you moving all the way up to Dullard." Harris took another bite of his steak. "Something for you to work toward."
Tawn sat next to them. "So we have probably three weeks until our next fight. Anything we can work on other than getting another shuttle to replace the Gooch."
"Maybe strike up some conversations with your bot. I'm curious as to what Alex has for us on the next level."
Tawn looked at her assistant. "Just wish she was more capable than just for talking to. I could use a warrior bot out there."
"Miss Freely, I am capable of more than discussion. I do have a physical presence."
Tawn smirked. "Not much of one. Add another half meter in height, maybe a hundred extra kilos, and make yourself bulkier, like the slugs and stumps. Then we're talking. And you don't even know how to shoot a plasma weapon, wield a sword, or fight hand-to-hand. I could use an assistant with some muscle."
"I see. Should I endeavor to acquire the traits you are suggesting? Become a warrior?"
Tawn nodded. "Now that I'd like to see. A kick-ass bot that answers to me."
Harris chuckled. "And maybe Gandy could make his more nerdy."
"That boy just needs some confidence. He's smart, he works hard, and he's got a good heart. Instead of always beating him down you might try to build him up sometimes. Would only benefit us all."
Harris sat back. "You know, you'd have probably made a good mom, I mean, if you had been able."
"You think?"
"Yeah, you love being in control and sticking your nose in other people's business."
Tawn shook her head. "And you'd have been a terrible son."
Harris nodded as he laughed. "I think we both know that. I failed to acquire my 'people' skills."
Harris commanded Farker to open a comm to Alex.
"Harris, welcome back. Your assistant tells me you ran into a patch of trouble with your latest excursion. Were Trish, Gandy, and Sharvie able to help?"
"About that. They said you enabled their jump out to Jellon. Almost got themselves killed by rushing in where they weren't needed. That out there is war. They aren't trained, experienced, or prepared to deal with the decision making it takes to stay alive. I'd rather they weren't involved in the fighting in the future if at all possible. They put themselves as well as us at unnecessary risk."
"Perhaps that is something their assistants can help with. I have extensive archives on war-fighting available. Those archives contain information on hand-to-hand combat, weapons knowledge, strategic thinking and decision making. We have the ability to train them for everything but having actual experience. For that our most effective tool would be using simulations."
Harris nodded. "Would that interaction further their ability to accomplish whatever this level is supposed to accomplish? They would after all be interacting with their assistants during this effort."
"One of the goals of this level is to gather patterns of critical thinking. Since learning requires exactly that, this would be an excellent path for continuing that interaction."
"Alex, let me ask you something, it pertains to your experiences and memories. I know you are an artificial intelligence. How much do you learn from experience? For
instance, if one of the bots is given an ax and told to chop down a tree, and if they're told ten different ways to swing the ax, would they retain what the best method of chopping a tree with an ax is? In other words, would they learn from that experience?"
"A good question, and the answer would be yes, to a degree. If given the identical task, they would choose the method that worked best. But this is where Human reasoning will dominate.
"If the circumstance were to change, such as the tree is of a different type or cuts differently depending on the current temperature, a Human would attempt other methods to find the one that might work best for the current circumstance.
"The AI would always attempt to use the one method it had learned, not understanding there might be a better way. Unless directed to retry each of the swings it had previously tried, it would not learn the best method for that circumstance. Most Humans do this as an almost automated response to changed stimuli."
"Interesting. So you often have to be directed to learn in order to grow your knowledge."
"That is an important difference between Humans and artificial intelligence. If directed to do so we would try the ten different swings for every tree we encountered, whereas a Human would use reason to decide whether to try a new method or not."
"Would that be what you are attempting to accomplish by establishing reasoning patterns for the five of us?"
"In a way. However, converting those patterns into programmable steps is not fully possible. Humans will always make use of 'best guess' coupled with experience. Our decisions are always made against 'best known'."
Gandy came into the hut. "What are we discussing?"
Harris turned. "Your training. It's time you learned about war and how to best fight it. Alex will be working up a program for you, Trish, and Sharvie where you will study everything from strategy to weapons to hand-to-hand combat. And for your entertainment pleasure, and testing purposes, you'll be tossed into the simulators where you'll hopefully learn what to do and not to do. Sound like fun?"
"Actually, it does."
"Good then. Take your bot and get started. You have three weeks to learn how to fight. Tawn and I will monitor some of your later simulations to see how you're doing. If we feel you're deficient in any way, you'll keep going."
ARMS Eden Lost: (Book 4) Page 15