by Ryk Brown
“That’s alright,” Doran assured him. “We’re used to it.”
* * *
To Nathan’s surprise, his sister was no longer in Doctor Symyri’s intensive care unit. Instead, she was in a room that looked more like a luxury hotel suite. Were it not for the nurses’ station in the corridor and the strategically placed medical supply cart in the corner, the occupant would never feel like they were in a hospital.
Miri was sitting in a lounge chair next to the window, staring at the view on the other side. She still seemed weak and was without her usual confident look, but she had improved greatly since his last visit. The mere fact that she was sitting upright in a chair was a huge improvement.
“You’re looking good,” he declared as he entered.
Miri turned and smiled at him. It wasn’t the smile he had known all his life, but it was something. “When did you arrive?” she asked.
“About an hour ago,” he replied as he moved across the room and sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the window, facing her. “I went by the suite to check on the kids, first. And of course, I got the usual update from Doctor Chen on the way here. They tell me you want to leave?”
“I need to leave,” Miri corrected.
“Are they not treating you well?”
“No, everyone here is wonderful. I’m just tired of being locked up in this place. I need fresh air, sunshine. I need to be around my kids, not just see them a couple of times a day.”
“Isn’t that about how often you were seeing them when you were working for Dad?” Nathan pointed out.
“I didn’t like it much then, either,” she admitted. “I just did it because he needed me. Now, my kids need me.”
“Yeah, Marcus scares them a bit,” Nathan commented. “They seem to love Neli though.”
“Neli is great, and I’m not saying I don’t need their help any longer. Obviously I do. I just want to be someplace a little more…normal.”
“I don’t get it,” Nathan admitted. “This is a great room, and you can choose from any number of incredible views,” he added, pointing at the window. “You can even go to the garden deck. It has an artificial sky and everything. It’s about as close to being outside as you can get without actually being outside.”
“That’s the point,” Miri insisted. “I’m not like you, Nathan. I’m not comfortable in artificial environments. Frankly, I don’t know how you handle it. No sun, no air…”
“No bugs,” Nathan joked.
“I don’t miss the bugs,” she admitted, smiling.
“I get it,” Nathan told her. “I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. You never mentioned this before.”
“That’s because I was never on your ship for more than a day,” Miri explained. “I’ve been cooped up in this station for months.”
Nathan sighed. “Well, Doctor Chen did say that she could handle your treatments if you decided to leave Symyri’s facility. However, he’s going to want to see you periodically, to monitor your progress.”
“Can you arrange that?” Miri wondered.
“Sure,” Nathan assured her, leaning back in his chair. “The question is where to put you.”
“Somewhere near you, I hope.”
“Once SilTek finishes our upgrades, that’s going to be pretty much anywhere—within a thousand light years, that is.”
“What about Rakuen?” Miri wondered. “Isn’t that where your fleet is?”
“Most of it, yes, but it’s still within the Dusahn’s reach, and their defenses are not adequate yet,” Nathan explained. “The last thing I need is to have to worry about you and the kids while dealing with the Dusahn. That’s what I liked about Sanctuary. Not only is it well outside the Dusahn’s reach, it’s also well defended, thanks to SilTek’s upgrades.”
“What is SilTek?” Miri wondered.
“I told you about them before,” Nathan reminded her.
“I was still pretty juiced on pain meds the last time you were here,” she pointed out.
“It’s a corporate world. Very advanced; very nice…” Nathan paused a moment, thinking. “You know, that might be a good place for you to go.”
“Are they well defended?”
“Not as well defended as I’d like, but they are way outside the Dusahn’s reach. Hell, I don’t even think the Dusahn know about SilTek. Even if they did, it would take them at least a month to get there, and they’d have to send everything they’ve got, which they’re not going to do as long as the Aurora is still a threat.”
“And it’s nice there?”
“It’s incredible there,” Nathan admitted. “Highly automated, with android AIs taking care of everything. They’ve probably got pretty good medical facilities as well.”
“Can you arrange it?”
“I’ll look into it,” Nathan promised.
“Thank you,” Miri replied, breathing a sigh of relief. “I don’t know how much longer I can stand this place. Now tell me everything that’s happened to you since your last visit,” she added. “And don’t leave out any of the scary details. The entertainment selection here is terrible.”
* * *
General Telles looked puzzled as he welcomed the SilTek engineer into his office on Orswella. “I was under the impression that all SilTek engineers were androids.”
“While it is true that most of our engineering is accomplished by artificial intelligence, there are still a few of us biological engineers around,” the gentleman explained as he took his seat across the desk from the general. “Our place is in the design of systems that interact directly with humans, such as your combat armor, and your strength-enhancing body suits, which I find quite fascinating.”
“Actually, they are of a very old design, and could probably use some improvements,” the general admitted.
“Perhaps, but their design is sound. Thus far, the only improvements I could envision are in comfort and longevity. Performance-wise, they are an ingenious system. Thousands of tiny tubules of variable fluidic pressures, controlled by thousands of sensors that monitor the activation of over seven hundred muscles. How such a thing was conceived without the help of an artificial intelligence is difficult to imagine.”
“Actually, it was a Ghatazhak who came up with the idea,” the general stated proudly.
“I am not surprised,” the engineer replied. “The level of education and training that your people undergo is legendary. The concept of a fighting force that is far more intelligent than their leaders is quite unique. Some consider it frightening.”
“Just as some consider artificial intelligence frightening,” the general pointed out.
“Quite true.”
“So how would you like to go about this, Mister Ayseron?” the general asked, tiring of the small talk.
“The design of your combat armor, which is also quite old, is still quite effective. However, there is much room for improvement.”
“Have you any suggestions?”
“To start, as you suggested, your shielding needs to be more automated, as do your defensive systems,” Mister Ayseron began. “More importantly, the very way your armor is manufactured needs to be changed. The modularity of your enhancement and protective systems are impressive, but they are far too inflexible. Each component must be tailored to the individual in order to function properly.”
“Which is why the Ghatazhak have very specific requirements as to the dimensions of our soldiers.”
“Yes, but it also greatly limits recruitment, which I understand is the single greatest threat to the survival of the Ghatazhak at this point.”
General Telles pondered Mister Ayseron’s assessment for a moment. “Continue.”
Mister Ayseron placed a small cube on the desk in front of him, tapping the top of it to activate the device. A semi-opaque, three-dimensional projection appeared ab
ove the cube, showing a nondescript man about the size and build of an average Ghatazhak soldier. “Imagine a combat augmentation and protection system that did not require a separate undergarment and could be configured in countless variations to meet any mission,” he explained as the man in the projection removed his backpack and placed it on the ground in front of him. “A system that is self-donning…” he said while the man in the projection spread his feet a bit and pushed his arms slightly away from his sides. A moment later, robotic arms began coming in from off-camera and behind, placing components on the man, starting at his feet and working their way quickly up his body. “…That enables the user to be ready for action in seconds…” he continued as the armor in the projection continued working its way up the man’s torso, arms, and head, finally encasing him in something quite similar to the Ghatazhak’s current combat armor. “…And can be used by any person, regardless of their dimensions.” After a pause, he added, “within reason of course.”
General Telles studied the projection as the processed reversed, and the robotic arms removed the armor from the man’s body. “Such a thing is possible?”
“Our emergency responders have been using this type of system for decades,” Mister Ayseron bragged. “Albeit, without the additional weapons and defensive shields. The deployment systems are built into their response ships and can make the users ready for action in less than thirty seconds. We can make just about any type of protective garment imaginable with it. Combat armor, space suits, firefighting gear, hazmat suits, you name it.”
“And such armor can withstand energy and projectile weapon impacts,” the general questioned, “as well as our current armor?”
Mister Ayseron sighed. “Not quite,” he admitted. “However, the protective shielding provided by the system more than makes up for it. Your current personal shield systems are two-dimensional and must be angled by the user to meet incoming fire. Our shielding system is form-fitting, creating a protective barrier only a few centimeters away from every surface of the body. This is accomplished by the use of thousands of tiny shield emitters located strategically throughout the suit.”
“This shield barrier is impenetrable?”
“As with all things, it has its limits,” Mister Ayseron admitted. “It does lose strength and cohesiveness with each successive impact. However, the on-board AI can adjust the shield system to automatically concentrate shield strength in the direction of the greatest threat, thereby lengthening the time to failure.”
“The on-board AI?” the general questioned, one eyebrow raised.
“The shielding system alone is far too complex for the user to operate, let alone the various sensors and weapons systems. In addition, the amount of data available for the wearer is too great for any visor-based display system. An AI would be able to maintain maximum protection for the wearer, while providing key data via human conversation to enhance and maintain the wearer’s situational awareness.” Mister Ayseron noticed the doubt on the general’s face. “Trust me, General Telles, this system is far superior to anything your people currently have and will make your men far more effective on the battlefield, giving them a much better survival rate.”
General Telles did not seem convinced. “I have my doubts,” he finally said, “on the reliance on an artificial intelligence.”
“General…” Mister Ayseron began.
General Telles held up his hand. “However, I am willing to test your concept, provided you can create a prototype in time.”
“Is three days soon enough?” Mister Ayseron asked.
CHAPTER NINE
“Good morning, everyone,” Nathan greeted as he took his usual seat at the head of the conference table in the Aurora’s command briefing room. “Let’s begin with you, Vlad. How are things progressing with the upgrade to our jump drive energy banks?”
“Upgrades to the port banks are complete, and the starboard bank should be ready in a few days,” Vladimir reported. “I decided to use part of our old energy banks to create a reserve bank. It should give us at least twenty light years of jump range. Think of it as an energy bank for emergencies.”
“Good idea,” Nathan commended. “But where’d you find space for it?”
“Where the port ventral heat exchangers are located.”
“Don’t we need those?” Cameron wondered.
“The SilTek engineers promised to install a more efficient heat exchange system,” Vladimir explained. “Apparently, it will take up far less space than our old systems, which they found comically archaic,” he added, with a slight irritation in his voice.
“They seem to find a lot of our systems comically archaic,” Cameron commented.
“They can laugh all they want as long as they upgrade them,” Nathan insisted.
“Yeah, it just hurts coming from androids,” Jessica opined.
“I doubt they are being judgmental,” Nathan defended. “After all, they are androids. They’re probably just trying to seem more human so that we feel comfortable working with them.”
“Yeah, well, it’s failing,” Jessica insisted. “I nearly flicked the off switch on one of them when he started criticizing how I set up my tactical displays.”
“What stopped you?” Cameron wondered, knowing Jessica’s temperament.
“I didn’t know where it was,” Jessica admitted.
“Middle of their back, just above the belt,” Vladimir told her.
“How did you find that out?” Jessica wondered.
“I asked.”
“So,” Nathan said, trying to get back on topic. “We’ll have max range when?”
“Three to four days,” Vladimir clarified.
“Do we need to schedule jump tests?” Cameron asked.
“They claim it is not necessary,” Vladimir replied, not looking entirely convinced himself.
“I’d recommend we test them on a few shorter jumps before we commit to full one-thousand-light-year jumps,” Abby stated. “The accuracy of conversion timing is measured in plancks.”
“You made that up,” Jessica joked.
“I agree with Cam,” Nathan said. “We’ll do a few test jumps and have you review the logs before we try anything long range,” he told Abby.
“The androids will be insulted,” Vladimir warned, half-joking.
“What’s the word on the Glendanon?” Nathan asked Cameron.
“They completed their jump tests yesterday,” Cameron reported. “They’re loading up their first delivery now. Mobile launchers, shield-penetrating jump missiles, and automated fabrication systems to produce rail adapters so that our current missile inventory will work on their launchers.”
“Will it be enough to fully protect anyone?” Nathan wondered.
“It’ll be enough to completely protect Orswella, since ninety percent of their population is clustered in one area,” Cameron explained. “Rakuen and Neramese will each get a couple of the mobile launchers and the AFSes so that they can fit out and test our missiles on SilTek’s launchers.”
“How many loads before all three worlds are adequately protected?” Jessica asked.
“Well, you can’t really protect a world with just jump missiles,” Cameron pointed out. “Nathan proved that. However, we can install enough launchers that the Dusahn will think twice about attacking.”
“Unless they start using KKVs and hurl a few our way,” Jessica commented.
“How many loads?” Nathan asked again.
“Three more,” Cameron replied. “Everything should be in place by the end of next week. Then figure another week of testing and fine tuning.”
“Very good,” Nathan stated. “Abby, how are things going with SilTek’s mini-jump missiles?”
“We tested the prototypes yesterday,” Abby explained. “They successfully penetrated the target’s shields, but due to the smaller delivery vehicle and s
ubsequently smaller warhead, it will take more than one mini-missile to bring down an entire shield section. The destructive radius on those little warheads is just not wide enough. SilTek’s engineers have some ideas for creating more powerful warheads, including miniaturizing an antimatter warhead, but that will take more time, and a lot more testing.”
“I’d rather not have antimatter warheads zipping around our combat zone,” Nathan stated.
“How many mini-jump missiles would be needed?” Cameron wondered.
“Half a dozen?” Abby guessed. “It depends on the size and strength of the target.”
“We could hit them with full-sized shield busters first, then follow up with a barrage of non-penetrating mini-missiles,” Jessica suggested.
“We’ll run some combat simulations on that,” Cameron decided.
“Good idea,” Nathan agreed. “What about the new computer to host our AI?”
“The shuttles carrying the hardware and installation crews are due this morning,” Cameron replied. “Once our AI has a proper home, she’ll be able to better direct and monitor the upgrades of our shields, weapons, sensors, and whatever else SilTek thinks they can improve.”
Nathan noticed his chief engineer frowning. “Something wrong?”
“How am I going to know what the systems of this ship can and cannot do once they come in and upgrade everything?”
“You’ve been through upgrades before,” Cameron pointed.
“Yes, but that was mostly with technology that we already knew something about. And when we didn’t, we would have meetings to discuss the technology before putting it into a ship I’m responsible for maintaining. These androids do things so quickly it’s impossible to keep up. They don’t even talk to each other as they work. They’re all connected digitally, like some kind of hive.”
“I guess you’re just going to have to trust our AI to monitor everything,” Nathan told him. “Maybe you can get her to keep you up to speed?”
“And tutor you on the stuff you don’t understand,” Jessica joked.
“Funny,” Vladimir responded.