Framandi Alliance- Galaxy Accretion Conflicts

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Framandi Alliance- Galaxy Accretion Conflicts Page 14

by Rashid Ahmed


  “You’ve prepared us for all this,” Ásta said. She continued, “It’s what we’re meant to do. Well perhaps not the extra-terrestrial interaction bit. But its what’s happening so we’ll cope.”

  Katrín replied with bright eyes, “We’re proud, excited and nervous. Just keep us updated. Otherwise we’ll hound you.” Gylfi squeezed her shoulder.

  They spoke about memories and Jón mentioned how he had remembered a story about elves being hunted. The conversation continued comfortably. Gogh walked into the operations centre just as the family were saying goodbye.

  Turning away from the screen she was facing, Katrín nodded to Gogh. She said, “It’s a pity about the Kuril Islands facility. It pretty much gave birth to our efforts in space. What have you got planned for us now that we’re here?”

  “History has enough cues which point to extra-terrestrials having visited Earth,” Gogh replied. He continued, “What they were doing here has always been debated. Artefacts collected and studied over the last century, have triggered technology advances which put us into deep space. Lýsi exists to solve the big problems Earth faces, without letting politics, religion, borders, race or any other factor become a hurdle. We have a few new wicked problems to be solved.”

  The 3D volumetric projection SAF lit up in the middle of the operations centre. Assisted by Shun, Gogh briefed the transhuman twins’ parents. He said, “Lets dive into the ones you’ll need to grapple with.”

  Pointing at the projection he explained, “However unlikely immediate extra-terrestrial contact may be on Earth, our populations need to be physiologically capable of withstanding the framandi microbiome. This means, we will have to account for every living creature on Earth. The problem we face, is this. How do we make every living thing here, framandi compatible?”

  Gylfi asked, “Didn’t they indicate that they visited our planet? Millennia ago? Unless they remained in enclosed environments, there must already be a degree of compatibility built into our ecosystem.”

  “Still, we’ll need to pit the DNA of every Earth creature and organism, against all DNA types contained in the framandi microbiome,” Katrín said. “It’ll be a gargantuan task that’s going to require a huge collaborative effort, not to mention computing resources,” she added.

  “That’s right,” Gogh said. The projection changed. Shun was keeping pace with the briefing. Gogh explained, “You’re going to plan and initiate DNA mapping on a global scale. Shun will use the group’s administrative AIs to efficiently and surreptitiously, farm out the mapping needs to all capable organizations. This will include friendly government agencies and institutions, all based on the strategy you prepare and priorities you set. We already have a lot of data. But it’s only a drop in the bucket.”

  Gylfi stated, “I doubt we’ll have the processing capacity, or the storage required for all DNA.” He asked, “How soon do we need to accomplish this?”

  “Within a week or two,” Gogh replied.

  Gylfi and Katrín stared at him boggle eyed.

  “Why?” Katrín asked. “And how do you expect us to accomplish this?” She was becoming concerned now.

  Gogh said, “Within a day, the crew of Átt will be prepared to meet the framandi face-to-face. In four days, they expect to encounter hostile forces from outside the framandi system. If there is conflict and it goes badly, we may have some framandi entering our system. It’s feasible they may come to Earth. Even if there’s no conflict, the framandi plan to transit our system on their way to Beta Hydri. Sooner or later, there will be physical interactions. Planned or not. We need to be prepared for the ‘sooner’ scenario, where interactions may occur on Earth.”

  “I see,” said Gylfi. Katrín was looking even more concerned now.

  “There’s another larger, more troubling issue,” Gogh went on. “If there is conflict and it does spill over into our system, we don’t have space-based military defences, to protect ourselves with. Nor do we know what we might encounter. We’re grossly underprepared for extra-terrestrials, especially the hostile kind.” He said, “I’ve tasked this problem to the leads of our space-based platforms. The platform operations leads are looking at finding solutions. They have Kei to assist.”

  Katrín said, “That’s good. Back to our first problem, what kind of resources can we muster on Earth?”

  Gogh answered without missing a beat, “Over the next few days, you’re going to have your hands full, tackling the planning and execution of DNA collection. Lýsi does not want framandi DNA information to be available on Earth, yet. You’re both going into space. Each of our space platforms have been able to develop a version of the advanced quantum processing unit, left for us by AL-I. These are going to be placed at your disposal until the DNA compatibility problem is solved. We’ll use the framandi provided data module for storage. These should resolve our immediate computing needs.”

  “There’s something else,” Gogh added. “The attack on Kuril has exposed us to physical vulnerability. We’ve spent decades developing our artificial intelligence and quantum computing capabilities. The physical infrastructure can be rebuilt. Loss or damage to our AI, is unacceptable,” he said.

  Gogh explained, “The solution we have is to allow Shun into space, and Kei onto Earth. Both AI will have separate quantum cores and quantum storage, with backups of course. They’ll share resources when required. Our AIs have served us well. They’ll be protected this way,” he said.

  The twins’ parents were allocated their own operations room, a smaller version of the island’s operations centre. They ensured their meals would be delivered directly and even had cots placed in the room. Both got to work immediately.

  Meanwhile, Gogh was coordinating with Max, the covert operative who had first infiltrated Lýsi’s Kuril Island facility. Max had since switched sides and was seamlessly absorbed into Lýsi. He updated Gogh via video from Kuril Island.

  “The facility is completely destroyed. The force which made its way here dug about a bit. It’s unlikely they got much,” Max said.

  “Whatever they’ve salvaged, we need to get back or destroy,” Gogh replied, adding, “we’ve tracked the aircrafts they used, to Kiruna in Sweden.”

  Max said, “I’ve been there. Rakkniv, my previous employer owns a cluster of warehouses near the airport. They use the location as a staging point for covert activities.”

  “Would you be able to go there and ensure our technology doesn’t fall into anyone else’s’ hands? Gogh asked. He stated, “The potential for misuse is tremendous.”

  “I’ll need a team. This won’t be a single person job,” Max responded.

  Gogh said to Max, “Get to Tokyo. We have a prototype supersonic business jet that’s registered for flight tests, standing by. You’ll be taken to Murmansk in Russia. Lýsi has access to military assets, given our group’s initial background. We’ve rarely required to use force other than to securely move precious cargo. This is going to be a code-only operation. You’re designated as ‘Kilima’. It means ‘hill’ in Swahili. The team you’ll be working with is drawn from various countries. They’ve worked together for years, so you’ll be the odd one out.”

  Max smiled and replied, “Don’t worry about me! I’ll fit right in!” He disconnected and made his way to an awaiting helicopter.

  A day later, Max found himself being introduced to a multinational, gender-agnostic, private force of covert operatives. He felt right at home. The team’s leader was called ‘Maji’ or ‘water’ in Swahili. They changed codewords every three months, using similar designations, but translated to various languages.

  Maji was briefing the team, “Kilima will be an observer and aid in coordination. Objectives will be given by him.”

  He continued briskly, “We’ll fly directly into Kiruna on a converted cargo aircraft. There’ll be vans meeting us at the airport. We’ll take these to an old mining vehicle maintenance warehouse. Our gear will be available there, along with SUVs. We have new biometrically authenticated weapon
s. These look like compact submachine guns but emit a beam of electromagnetic waves. The beam mildly scrambles brain activity and portions of the nervous system. For more serious damage, there’s a selector for a ten-kilowatt laser; but it’ll only give you six shots before you need a battery pack change. Beam and laser shots take a full second to discharge, so you’ll need to hold your weapons steady. Carry standard sidearms and explosives, just in case.”

  The flight to Kiruna was uneventful. They arrived at dusk. Shun had organized logistics using myriad unconnected sourcing fronts, that would be nearly impossible to track. The fronts wouldn’t raise flags either. The AI was good at this. It had initially been programmed to run the group’s adhocratic and distributed administration, before becoming its more sophisticated and able self. The team was well fed and rested when they landed.

  At the mining vehicle maintenance warehouse, they quickly sorted their gear, checked their firearms and went through their pads, updating themselves with the layouts and objectives.

  Maji led them out, speaking through his communications earpiece to the team. He said, “Okay now, we’re on the clock. Get to your assigned vehicles and let’s go. You know the drill. Our recon team advices that a group of thirty-eight combat effective individuals, are spread across two of three warehouses. The third one contains sensitive material. This is to be destroyed using high heat incendiary munitions. Individuals have been tagged and assigned to you. They’re all to be disabled.”

  The team drove up to the Rakkniv warehouses. Video feeds were available to the team now, transmitted by miniature flying and crawling drones. Shun’s mission AI, automatically transmitted the appropriate imagery to each team member. The vehicles broke off into three groups and approached from different directions. Rear-guards were dropped off at intersections.

  Maji had an elegant plan. The team would use a swarming tactic that was expected to saturate opposition defences. They’d penetrate the two warehouses containing personnel, quickly moving to the center, where commanders were expected to be located. They’d turn and work their way outward once opposition leaders were disabled. Two team members would hold each exit, concentrating interior lines. None of the team members would directly face each other, reducing the chance of unwanted friendly beam exchange.

  As they approached in their SUVs, the recon team activated minute explosives carried by infiltration drones. These knocked out electricity, Rakkniv surveillance and external communications. Signal jamming was initiated. They then dropped opposition members who were visible through windows, prioritising anyone facing the doors. The entry teams were at assault positions at both occupied warehouses. Maji instructed, “Enter. Attack.”

  None of the opposition occupying the first warehouse, put up any fight. There were two Rakkniv combatants who had reacted quickly, drawn sidearms, and were pointing them at windows when the doors were silently breached. They were taken down first. The insertion team didn’t even reach the centre of the warehouse, before all opponents were dropped.

  There was trouble at the second warehouse though. A Rakkniv operative had pressed himself against a wall near the main entrance. He shot two of Maji’s team members, assigned to take up positions by the door, before he was temporarily paralyzed by an invisible beam. Maji instructed, “Don’t stop,” while redirecting two recon team members to the door. The operation took under thirty seconds. Maji said, “Medics to the wounded. Give me an opposition headcount.”

  The headcount came up two persons short. Urgently, Maji ordered, “Set up internal security and an out-guard. Find our two missing Rakkniv personnel.” The team took up positions while others combed the area.

  Max spoke directly to Maji over a secure channel, “We should enter the storage warehouse.” Maji agreed before asking his team, “Give me a sitrep.” Updated, he directed, “Deploy to the storage warehouse and enter.” Preassigned team members formed up and moved to the storage warehouse. Maji looked at his pad. The drones were providing low light and infrared feeds. He didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. The doors to the third warehouse were breached, and the team entered.

  As they began to spread through the warehouse, compact hidden multi-barrel weapons popped out of recesses on structural pillars. Noticing the blur of motion, Maji warned his team, “Contact! Find cover.” His team dropped, but the concealed weapons began firing before he could finish. High volume rapid fire from two separate multi-barrel weapons literally sheared the unit lead’s head, clean off. Direct fire continued to pin down the rest of the insertion team. They couldn’t move. Maji could not tell how much ammunition the multi-barrel weapons held. They seemed to fire every time they detected movement or unrecognized shapes.

  Shun interrupted Maji, “There are additional miniature airborne tactical explosive drones available.”

  Maji gave a quick grin and gave the mission coordinator next to him instructions, “Mobilize airborne tactical drones. Have them enter the warehouse and fly high, close to the roof. Drop two on each of the multi-barrel weapons. Take out their fire control mechanisms and turning joints.” The mission coordinator replied, “Assigning drones. We’re going to be short by two. Executing and handing over drone control to AI. The weapon on the central pillar will remain untouched.”

  Looking at his pad, Maji selected two of his insertion team members pinned down. This opened a direct channel to them. He instructed the two, “You’ll need to take out one of the multi-barrel weapons on the central pillar, on my mark. Switch to laser.”

  The team was occasionally peppered by automated weapons fire, whenever anyone moved. But they’d concealed themselves well and held on. The drones approached the weapons, hugging the pillars as they dropped. The mission coordinator said, “Ready.”

  Maji spoke to the two team members he had selected. “Get ready.” To his mission coordinator he said, “Execute.” A moment later there were simultaneous explosions across the warehouse. He spoke to the assigned team members loudly, “Hit it!” They broke cover, aimed and depressed their triggers.

  High intensity laser shot out at the remaining concealed multi-barrel weapon from either side. It began to swivel to the right, its barrels beginning to rotate, preparing to fire. Maji said, “Again!” Another two beams of high intensity laser light shot out upward. Three simultaneous mild explosions erupted from the multi-barrel weapon, which had pivoted just enough to find an exposed team member. It had got a few rounds off before it froze in place. Maji said, “Threat neutralized. Looks like a few rounds cooked right at the magazine feed.” To the rest of the team he said, “It got one of ours. Now, find me the missing opposition personnel.”

  Shun brought a few surveillance drones into the warehouse, to examine and identify items taken from the Kuril Islands facility. There were several objects in crates. Five minutes later the AI had a list of items. It set priorities and assigned team members to wind high heat incendiary wire and charges around these.

  Just as they got started, Maji was informed that a cleverly hidden trapdoor had been found under a sliding cabinet, in the second warehouse. He instructed, “Breach and enter.” Designated team members approached the trapdoor and formed up. The trapdoor was gradually pried open, past its resistance point. Lasers were used to cut through the locking mechanism. As it was being opened, a flood of rounds hit the underside of the door, with a few passing through the widening gap.

  Observing, Maji spoke to the unit leader, “Drop in surveillance drones. Locate the ambush weapons.” The unit leader did as he was instructed, pushing in a drone through a small bent section of the door. The feed from the drone became visible to everyone. There were two multi-barrel weapons, one above the other on opposite walls, separated by two feet.

  Maji said, “I think you may be able to take out the one on top with laser fire. Be careful though.”

  The unit leader pushed his weapon into the gap in the trapdoor and immediately received a storm of rounds his way. He replied, “That may not work.” Maji considered and said, �
��Drop in a fragmentation grenade. Cook it first.” The unit leader motioned the rest of the team back, unclipped a grenade from his vest and turned a knob on the top of it. Pushing the knob down he said, “Cooking! Move the drone into a safe area.” Three seconds later he pried open the trapdoor and dropped the grenade. There was an immediate bang. After a moment the drone was brought out from the crevasse it was hidden in. The lower multi-barrel weapon was destroyed, but the upper one looked serviceable.

  Shun spoke to Maji, “The ambush weapon’s fire mechanism is electronically controlled. Rakkniv salvaged a few launch capsule components including a high capacity gel battery, which has held its charge. There are other parts also available, which will allow quick field assembly of a single use electro-magnetic pulse device. It will knock out all electronics in the immediate vicinity.” Maji replied, “Show me.”

  Shun took Maji through the steps and components. Instructions were passed on to two team members who were technically competent. While the electromagnetic pulse device was being put together, high heat incendiary munitions were wrapped around prioritized sensitive items, found in the storage warehouse. Simultaneously, the injured were being evacuated by road, along with the downed team member. They had been delayed more than expected.

 

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