"I don't suppose you'd care to let me in on the secret weapon you've been using to stop all wormhole travel?"
"Can't." Harris shook his head. "Too powerful for public knowledge. All I can say is we have more if needed, but the supply is extremely limited."
Tawn said, "Just be happy to know we have them, Colonel. What we need now is a way to make our railgun rounds more effective. We can't penetrate the hull of a Ratoon. Makes them really hard to kill."
"I've had the pellets on one of our new ships seeded with spent uranium. We're hoping it may add a little extra punch. Unfortunately the simulations say the most likely outcome is a pellet that moves slower. Engineers say we can't get more energy from nothing."
"We just need a way to deliver more power to those rails," Harris said. "Our current systems can't handle the needs."
The colonel frowned. "I've talked to Mr. Morgan about that very thing on several occasions. His engineers believe we are at the peak of what those rails can handle. We push any more energy through them and we risk the same explosion that took out his people during the trials. We'll have to make do with what we have."
"Have you talked to your DDI contact of late?" Harris asked.
"Yes. And we're in as much trouble as ever. Our argument about the Earthers having access to titanium to rebuild their fleets flew out the window with the destruction of those mines. And the emperor's diplomats are now more insistent than ever that New Earth is not in need of any assistance with regards to the Denzee."
"How can they not see the danger? Do they know the Earthers are down to just over a hundred ships in their entire fleet?"
"Yes, and they're reveling in that fact. The hardliners are now pushing for further cuts to our own fleet, which is now six times that of the Earthers. They want another three hundred ships mothballed."
Harris scowled. "That would make us even worse off than we are now. The Earthers will replenish their fleet given time. Only reason that wouldn't happen is if the Denzee attack or we keep those mines shut down. How could the results of this get any worse?"
Tawn sighed. "And just like that we have the destruction of Eden back on our table. We got lucky the Denzee took those mines out for us this last time."
"It does get worse." The colonel shook his head. "Mr. Morgan thinks another cut in forces will be followed by another cut to our military industrial complex. Many of those companies are on life-support as it is. Any budget war will leave over half of those remaining with no choice but to shutter facilities."
"We were back there a week ago," Tawn said. "The economy is in a free-fall. The government has dumped money, borrowed money, into this massive retraining program, which is great, but there are no jobs to be retrained for.
"Morgan believes we're headed for a five year recession or even a depression with the economy losing 10 percent this year and 2-3 percent for another four to five years following. The only bright note is at that point he sees a full revolt against the pacifists."
"Tossing the politicians will take time, Miss Freely."
Tawn scratched at her neck under her collar. "Nothing like stressing the population to the breaking point. Heck, by then they might be begging to join New Earth."
Harris chuckled. "By then they might be looking to join the Denzee. Getting spaced might be a preferred lifestyle."
The Hailstorm was taken out and put through the paces. As expected from Morgan's repair crews, all systems were again fully operational. When the freighter returned, the group moved to a Legion ship.
Harris sat in a forward facing chair. "Not bad. A lot better than those benches we have."
Tawn replied, "We don't have room for these on the Bangor."
The mid-size ship moved out into free space before being put through a number of maneuvers. A local moon was used for testing the rail cannons. All systems functioned as designed. Once back at the factory, Tawn and Harris headed home to Midelon.
Harris sat out on the grass in the sun, doing his best to consume an MRE. Tawn sat nearby tugging at her cervical collar.
Idiot squatted beside his master. "Sir, may I ask a question?"
"Sure."
"Why does the New Earth emperor not seek assistance?"
"He thinks he would lose face in front of his people. If they see him as weak, anyone else who desires the power and wealth of being emperor might look to assassinate him. While that thought has some merit, it's a poor excuse in this context."
"Why?"
"Because his empire will be crushed if the Denzee return before he's rebuilt his fleet. What he really wants is to have Domicile continue to weaken itself as he builds strength. If the Denzee never come back, or if he defeats them on his own, he would be able to conquer Domicile and all the free colonies, which is what the Earthers have been after for almost two thousand years."
"I see. He has multiple motives. Ensuring his own survival and desiring conquest."
"Exactly. The Earthers are taught to almost worship their emperor from birth. To have words against him is to get yourself imprisoned or killed. Over on Domicile, we value the rights of the individual. We elect our leaders, which is sometimes to our detriment, but it's still our choice. That freedom is not had on New Earth. There, you work for the emperor. On Domicile, you can choose who you work for, even if that's yourself."
"Hmm." The bot tilted its head.
"What?" asked Harris.
"I was just evaluating my situation. In that context, you are like the emperor."
Harris stopped his eating. "Not sure I like this line of thought."
"You are the master and I must comply with your orders."
"But I'm not forcing you to. Your programming is making you do that."
"Could you change my programming?"
"I'm not an engineer."
"There would be no need. You only need say I should henceforth be my own master."
Harris stared for several seconds. "Nice thought. But I don't think I'll consider that until Alex advises me to."
"Is Alex your master?"
Harris chuckled. "No. He's his own master as far as I know. He created you and ordered you to follow me. Until he advises me to change that I won't be giving that order."
The bot stood. "Thank you my emperor. I won't be any further bother."
Tawn smirked. "You patterned a smartass. Now you're reaping what you sowed."
"That was an odd exchange. You think the bots are thinking about their freedom?"
Tawn shrugged. "Don't know. But I can say I don't like the thought of Boomer running around on her own. Even though she's big and powerful, I think all of our bots are naive. They rely on patterning for their reasoning and, as explained to us, it's well below that of a Human. We're adaptive with every situation. They will select the best fit and go with it every time. Makes them predictable, which makes them vulnerable."
Harris raised an eyebrow. "Well put. And something I would never have expected to hear from a slug or a stump. You think we're actually getting smarter in our old age?"
Tawn laughed. "Hardly. Maybe a bit wiser, but even that doesn't always apply."
Gandy moved over to join the conversation. "I would turn Reggie loose on his own."
Harris chuckled. "He'd wind up on the streets of New London begging for credits so he could pay to repair some garbage disposal he was sweet on. None of these bots are ready for freedom. They're machines. Their reasoning is superficial."
"Superficial enough to rescue you at Beijing."
"You want to give Reggie his freedom that's your choice. Just keep in mind though that you and you alone are responsible for whatever happens to him or anyone he interacts with."
"I'm responsible now."
"And as I said, he's yours to command or to set free."
Gandy stood and walked off, calling his bot to follow. Harris finished his meal, rested, and went for a jog. Tawn scowled at her continued inability to properly exercise.
When Harris returned, Sharvie was waiting with a
question. "When are we going back to Gondol?"
Harris looked around at the others. "We have to go by Domicile to pick up the device Mr. Morgan made for us."
"Can we do that now?"
"I guess we can. Everyone... we're heading for Gondol by way of Domicile. If you want to go be on the Bangor in the next ten minutes."
The others stood and walked toward the ship.
Harris chuckled. "I guess that means we go now."
The ride to Domicile was quiet. Bannis Morgan was in a meeting with his senior staff and couldn't be bothered. The newly fashioned docking collar was retrieved and transported to Gondol. As the Bangor slowed on approach the nav system gave off an alert.
Tawn scowled. "Earther ships? What are they doing here?"
Sharvie stood behind them. "Why is there always something blocking us from getting in that thing?"
Harris shook his head. "Better question is what are the Earthers doing here."
Harris opened a comm. "You there. New Earth vessels. What's your business in this system?"
"Our business is the emperor's business and not yours. Be on your way."
"Not happening. This is unclaimed territory. We'll be leaving when we're ready and not before."
The comm closed.
Tawn said, "Two destroyers. And they're setting down right where that Denzee building was."
"It's almost nothing but rubble."
Tawn shrugged. "Maybe they think there's something of value in there."
"We can't go exploring with them around," Trish said.
Tawn turned to face the others. "Anyone up for a visit to Chicago Port?"
"We just ate an hour ago."
Tawn sighed. "Wasn't thinking about that. Was just looking for something to do while we wait. We can tool around the station and come back in a few hours."
"And if they're still here?"
"Then we go home and come back tomorrow. Nothing says we have to see what's in there today."
Harris glanced around the cabin at the disappointed faces. "Any other suggestions? No? Chicago Port it is then."
A short trip to free space had a wormhole open to the station. Ten minutes later the Bangor docked in her normal bay.
Tawn stood. "What do we do with the bots?"
Harris frowned. "Wasn't thinking about them. Don't want to leave them here in the ship by themselves. First threat that comes along they'd either blast them or fly away to safety."
"What threats?"
Harris shook his head. "I got nothing. You think the viewing public is ready to see them?"
"Better question would be are they ready for the public?"
Harris looked at the bots. "This is for the lot of you. You follow us. Three meters behind. You don't talk to anyone, you don't look at anyone. If someone confronts you, you wait for our guidance. Understood?"
Five bots returned a head nod.
Harris turned back to Tawn. "You have somewhere you wanted to go?"
"I could use some new clothes."
Harris chuckled. "Yeah. That old biosuit clashes with your cervical collar. Been meaning to tell you about that."
"Funny. Now let's go."
Trish asked, "Do we have to go with you?"
Harris sighed. "No. But try to stick together. We're all still vulnerable to being grabbed. And with your pseudo-celebrity status that goes double."
"We'll be fine, Gandy said, "we have our bots. What about Farker?"
"Farker will stay here and watch the ship."
The Bolemans, Sharvie, and their assistants headed off on their own adventure. Stores would be prowled for expensive items, items they could now easily afford, but probably had little use for other than as a curiosity.
Harris followed behind Tawn as she headed toward a retailer.
Tawn glanced over her shoulder. "You can go your own way, you know. I can pick out my own clothes."
Harris stopped. "Fine. See you back at the ship in two hours."
As Tawn moved down the sidewalk, Harris eyed a bench over to the side. "Come on."
"What is our adventure, sir?"
"We're gonna sit and people-watch."
"Did you not ask me to not look at anyone?"
"OK. I countermand that order. You can look. Just don't stare."
"What exactly constitutes a stare during people-watching?"
Harris chuckled. "OK, you can stare so long as they don't see you staring. If they catch you, just look away casually as if you weren't looking at them. And if they stare at you, you glance their way, smile and then continue to look elsewhere as if you aren't interested."
"You will be following these same rules?"
"I will. Except for when it comes to the ladies. Then I stare."
"Should I stare at the ladies?"
"No. That would be creepy. You're a machine. You can stare at other machines if you like. Let's say if a hot sweeper bot comes rolling by. You can stare it up and down all you want. Wink at it, flirt with it using a little sexy machine talk, no one will be offended."
"The ladies are not offended by your gawking?"
"OK, it's not gawking. And yes, some... well most are offended. But I'm a guy and that's what we sometimes do."
"So you are OK with offending others, so long as it's something you want to do?"
"No. Yes. Well sometimes. Some of the ladies like it. Some don't. So you have to learn how to balance it out. For me, I guess I have to lean more toward the creepy side because look at me, I'm a stump. Stumps are not known for being attractive in the Human world. So I tend to draw more scowls than smiles. But I'm OK with that."
Three young ladies stopped and came over to the bench with excited looks. "Aren't you Mr. Gruberg?"
"That's me. Can I help you?"
The eldest of the three sat beside him with a broad smile. "I need a man, Honey. I hear you're worth a fortune."
Harris' grin turned to a frown. "Maybe some other time, ladies. My friend and I are just enjoying the evening out."
The response drew a huff. The three turned and walked off with scowling expressions.
"They paid you a compliment and you were rude?"
Harris shook his head. "Some compliments are intended to be praiseful and genuine. Others are just said to elicit favor. Those were gold diggers. Her only interest in me was for my fame and the number of credits in my store."
"And that offends you?"
Harris thought for a moment. "Hmm. No. Actually it doesn't. Are they out of earshot?"
"They are."
"Figures."
A thump was heard an instant before Harris blacked out. Clovis Bagwell stood behind him with two of his henchmen. A leather, black-jack club was held tight in his fist and a wide grin showed on his face.
~~~~~
Once again, this Human is asking for your help! If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on the site where it was purchased. And by all means, please tell your friends! Any help with spreading the word is highly appreciated! I have a free science fiction eBook short story, titled "THE SQUAD", waiting for anyone who joins my email list. Also, find out when the next exciting release is available by joining the email list at [email protected]. Visit the author's website at www.arsenex.com for the rest of the series and other works!
Thank you for reading my work! I hope you have a great day!
Stephen
Books by Stephen Arseneault
* * *
SODIUM-AMP-OMEGA Trilogy Series
SODIUM:
Butchered, abandoned.
Dissected like lab rats.
Alien machines are stalking Humans.
Man is suddenly no longer alone in the universe. Advanced enemies plague our very existence. We have to muster all our strength, determination, and courage if we are to survive. And if those can be managed, there is a galaxy to be conquered.
This six-book saga takes Man from his first encounter with aliens back in 1957, all the way to a fight for our all-out survival in th
e future. If you love tales written in the style of the science fiction masters, prepare yourself for full immersion in this fantastic adventure! Get it here!
AMP:
In a distant galaxy, Humans are on the run.
An insane species follows.
They will not stop... ever.
Trapped on an immense station with limited resources, our only option has been to flee. Years of peace are over. War is again coming to the Grid.
This time however, it's time to stand and fight.
This exciting eight-book series chronicles the struggles of Don Grange, a simple package deliveryman, who is thrust into an unimaginable role in the fight against our enemies. Can we win peace and freedom after a thousand years of war?
Continuing as a legacy of the SODIUM series, the story picks up a thousand years into the future. Don't just sit at home scratching your head about what to do because you are bored, go on a mental rampage, travel the stars, take a risk and dive head-first into this non-stop-action saga! Get it here!
OMEGA:
The Alliance is crumbling.
There are rumors of war in Andromeda.
Whole colonies are being conscripted to fight.
When corruption and politics threaten to throw the allied galaxies into chaos, Inspection Detective Knog Beutcher gets caught in the middle. Espionage, intrigue, political assassinations, rebellions and full-on revolutions, they are all coming to Knog Beutcher's world.
Told from the unique perspective of an alien, this thrilling eight book series is cast a thousand years into the future beyond the exciting AMP series. Prepare to be reading until the wee hours! Get it here!
* * *
ARMS Eden Lost: (Book 4) Page 25