Rise of the Machines: Book 1: Once Awakened

by Briana Ervin

  I berated myself for not seeing this coming, even though I couldn't do a thing about it. We were facing a full-blown tribunal, and I thought they wouldn't pull any tricks like this! Of course they were going to pose tricky questions!

  I tensed up, switching my focus to the Superiority model next to Alesia. If I had to break our cover and clash with that guy so we could escape, assuming we even could... then I was ready to do it.

  “I saw... three. But there was so much going on I could have missed others, sir,” Alesia finally answered. The tribunal studied her very closely.

  “If you were on the back lines as you said, then you should have had enough time to assess the situation.”

  “I was shocked, sir. A-About the damage. And the horde of Enemy reinforcements.”

  The main judge scrutinized her a bit longer, before waving his paw and causing the energy wall to come up again. As he and his peers debated in animated silence, I decided it was my turn to scrutinize, focusing on their mouths as they moved and quietly recording what I saw. I was no lip reader, but I was an altered machine with a giant database; I had the tools to learn, and I was going to use them.

  When the tribunal came to a conclusion and the main judge lowered the energy wall, I hastily stopped the recording, dug around in my database about lip-reading, then created a table comparison synced up with information before comparing it to tracked movement on the recording. Despite me being an advanced computer, it was an extensive process; doing this ate up my focus, so I didn't know what was happening until the table was created and I could divert the “deciphering” process to a back-end multi-thread. Unfortunately, creating that table also ate up my processing power, causing me to slacken with the faintest click.

  It was enough for the Superiority model. He slowly swiveled around, as if just checking behind him, but the way his gaze lingered on me I knew he was suspicious. He didn't know that I was willful, that I could be assured of, but he knew he heard something click behind him and he wasn't about to turn back around.

  The tribunal noticed the Superiority model's behavior, but didn't comment on it, dismissing Alesia from the podium. This time the relief was short-lived, as there was no telling what the judges picked up from her story, or if they were convinced at all. We could only hope that Cyrii pulled the plug on the suspicion and wrapped up this meeting.

  Of course, her questions couldn't be any worse.

  She was called up to the podium as Subject H, a Code Level Orange like Stratien and Trista.

  “We have seven accounts of the same event, and so far, they match up,” the main judge began. The tone of his voice hinted that he didn't believe his own words. “We assume you would give us the same story.”

  Cyrii tried to keep her face stolid, but worry and anxiety still flitted through it. When she realized she was expected to give confirmation, her neck scales wilted in embarrassment.

  “Yes...”

  “We will go right to the point then.” The judge looked at his peers, as if double-checking an unanimous vote. “Was your mech severely damaged?”

  “Yes.”

  “How did it come to take such damage?”

  “I was reckless.”

  I was surprised about how smoothly that came out of her. Perhaps she could hammer some more belief into this!

  “Reckless how?” the judge pressed. Cyrii strengthened her grip on the edge of the podium, thinking.

  “When we were ambushed I rushed ahead, sir. I tried to do a Tank's job.”

  “So 767 sustained damages because you were reckless, and ran into a battle with a poor sense of security.”

  “Yes. I didn't have the defenses, sir.”

  “Did 767's AI try to stop you?”

  “Yes sir.”

  I felt flattered that she gave me such credit, considering I would have been just as idiotic. The judge paused, digesting these ready responses.

  “How badly were you damaged?” he asked.

  “I couldn't move, sir, the legs especially. Even turning didn't work out well, and the hull was breached in multiple places...” Cyrii's confidence faltered for a moment. “She was in... in a lot of pain...”

  “You need only to answer the question,” one of the side judges said, implying she said enough. She swallowed nervously and avoided eye contact, having already made her first mistake.

  “Do you agree with your General's assessment that the damages may have been too fatal to repair?” the head judge continued.

  “Yes.”

  “And you agree with the eyewitness accounts that you were dragged back to the complex?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Do you know who took you back to the complex?”

  It was a tricky question, but she answered readily: “No sir.”

  “So you stand by that you could not return to the complex on your own, and had to rely on your allies, one of whom brought you back, and you don't know who?”

  “No sir. I-I was concussed,” she excused, “I hardly remember anything. The fact that I lived...” she hesitated on purpose.

  “We understand.”

  Cyrii was pretty believable, but it was the tribunal's job to suspect and question everything. I wasn't going to hold on to false hopes. I quickly wrapped up my “deciphering” of my recording, once again becoming oblivious to everything to study my finds. There were quite a few errors due to similarity in movements, but it wasn't inaccurate after I went through and corrected them based on context.

  The direct approach isn't working, one of the judges had said, after the energy wall came up.

  They have a good story. Unfortunately, it doesn't match a thing they're saying. Thus, one of the stories must be false, another deducted.

  Which one is more likely? the main judge had asked.

  A mech's recording is extremely unlikely to be forged, one spoke up. I digested that for a moment, wondering what recording they were referring to.

  It is also the only recording, a peer challenged. Conversely, we have the entire median group – except for the median members in here, it seems – that says the Pusher models went IN with the Tanks.

  If they worked against orders though, then why didn't the Superiority model watching them also stop them? another mused.

  Only one model was watching us? I wondered, and purposefully DIDN'T stop us?? This recording wasn't making much sense at all...

  Either the Superiority model was backing up their decision, or their story is true. Yet, that disqualifies a large number of mechs and their pilots. This is a much smaller group, another judge pointed out. Do you believe this is some sort of large conspiracy?

  We must consider why the rest of the median group did not speak up at the time of occurrence, his rival said. The other judge waved a paw.

  It is easily excused by the fact that they had no right to break line just to tattle seemingly-useless information. We must remember that we are talking about soldiers, here. They are taught to follow orders, nothing else, he pointed out. I was insulted by the assumption even though it was true. The other judge didn't make a comment on it.

  In terms of losses, it would be less destructive to disqualify these subjects than the much larger group of peers that observed them, an end judge spoke up. The Empire is broke enough as is, deprived in both resources and soldiers, both of which are needed to help our economy.

  And yet Gryn said to do the right thing and punish those where it is due! his rival argued. If that includes the entirety of the barracks, we must do it.

  We cannot defeat one of our last lines of defense against the Intergalactic Republic. Gryn would damn us for putting the entire planet in danger, the main judge said; I found it interesting that he referred to the IR by its name, unlike all the other Xinschi-uual I had met.

  What is more important: lives, or justice?

  Murder is a higher offense in the Book of Laws than letting a murderer go, one of the judges said. That sentence made me want to scream: what was the logic behind that?! The recordi
ng continued:

  This is not a question of murder, it is a question of treason, the main judge had reminded them, disobedience shall not go unpunished. If this subject group is to blame, they will be punished for deceit and unlawful conduct on the battlefield; a dishonorable discharge is the best they could hope for. If the second, accusatory group is to blame, then we have every right to believe that they are the rebels we have been searching for.

  Rebels? I wondered, What rebels?

  If this is the undercover Resistance battalion, then what could they hope for, framing a much smaller group of soldiers of treason? one of the judges asked.

  That is not important to us. The only thing that is important is catching the breakers of the law.

  Then what of the variance in stories?

  The main judge thought for a moment. So far we have found a discrepancy where Subject H's mech was more heavily damaged than Subject C's mech, and her peers all ignored this – including Subject D, who has a Support model – despite numerous accounts acknowledging that she not only damaged her mech, but had damaged it so severely that she couldn't move. Conversely, Subject C could still escape with his peers, and he did not mention seeing Subject H becoming so damaged.

  Is it enough to bank treason on? one judge questioned.

  It is worth noting, another judge said. One of the judges input something in his hidden computer.

  The factory sent out the mandatory maintenance report, he relayed, it proves the accounts about Subject H's mech's previous state.

  So if she agrees that her mech was damaged, then she won't be lying, his peer immediately determined. At least, not about that.

  We still have one subject left that we could potentially question, the same end judge spoke again. Subject I: the pilot of the Superiority model that had observed the Infiltration group to make sure orders were followed. If this story is false, then he will have a completely different report to give.

  The main judge nodded thoughtfully. Let's finish the questioning and bring him in.

  I had stopped the recording just then, as the main judge had brought the energy wall back down, but I noted that the end judge had indeed typed something into his computer: a remote order to summon this other subject. If I didn't have to stay so immobile I would have cringed at what I just discovered. This Superiority model wouldn't give us a chance!

  Except he DID give us a chance when we decided to break rank, I realized, but was it sheer negligence that did it? Was he helpless to act on it? Could we trust him to do it again?

  When I came back out of my mind and stashed away the recording – as well as reminding myself to tell Cyrii to give me more storage space for future recordings – I saw that things had changed. The podium was empty, everyone standing by their pods, and the Superiority model had just re-entered the room – probably from fetching Subject I – with another mech behind him. I can't lie to myself: I was surprised to see the 36 model with the yellow-orange eye.

  The 72 model led the mech to one of the empty hangars on the far end, leaving my peripheral. When the two re-entered my sight the 36 model was replaced by a dark red Xinschi-uual with blue, black, and tan striated markings. He was in his traditional uniform, a step better than the metal-in-fabric clothing of the rest of the soldiers. He looked confused, but also like he knew what to do, stepping up to the podium with his paws behind his back. Only the four of us from Row 4 recognized him, shrinking back and purposefully avoiding eye contact. He wasn't trusted to uphold our story at all.

  “You summoned me, sir?” he asked. Yup, that was Garenede.

  “We are investigating a matter of discrepancy, and would like to ask you a couple of questions,” the main judge said. Garende didn't seem the least bit fazed, simply looking upon the judges with an almost condescending look, a feeling which he kept out of his voice.

  “Of course, sir. Anything.”

  “You testify that you were part of the group launch toward an outpost?” the judge said vaguely.

  “Yes sir,” Garende answered obediently.

  “You were assigned to supervise the Infiltration group with another Superiority model?”

  “Yes sir. Calho, Code Level Blue, who manages Rows 1 and 2.”

  The tribunal was pleased with his readiness to give details, smiles teasing their faces. It only made me dread the situation more.

  “For the record, what is your code and row management?”

  “Code Level Green, sir. I manage Row 4.”

  “A rather high code level for a Superiority model, no?”

  “I used to be a Code Blue, sir. I... made a few mistakes.” Despite his willingness to say it, he clearly wasn't proud of it. The tribunal proceeded with the questioning.

  “These subjects testify that they split up according to the tactics given. Given by their S.A.I.s, Sirun, Trista, Cyrii, Gilus, and Stratien were all part of the Infiltration group. Alesia, Krysis, and Joleus were part of the median group between Infiltration and Backup. Do you agree with this assessment?”

  “I can only account for my own Row members, sir,” Garenede admitted. “Calho would recognize the others.”

  “Did you see your Row members?” the main judge pressed.

  “Yes sir. Cyrii went ahead with the Infiltration group and I followed. Joleus, Krysis, and Alesia stayed behind, in order of rank depth.”

  The head judge was more satisfied with this answer. “What happened when the Infiltration group split up?”

  “I stayed to watch the Pusher models, sir. Calho flew closer to the outpost to watch the Tanks.”

  I was bitterly reminded of the nonsensical tactics we had to follow, and this only confirmed how ridiculous they were: we were not only easy prey, but we really were being babysat the whole time! In a live battlefield!

  “Can you tell us what happened during the stretch of time that you watched them?” the main judge prompted. I saw Garenede hesitate. He didn't know our story, so he couldn't back it up. Clearly though he wasn't about to tell the truth, either...

  For whatever reason, he looked behind him, and he looked behind him at Cyrii. She was still drooped and huddled against the side of her pod, not the least bit assured that this would end well. He then looked to the other side where his mech was sitting, presumably in a hangar like the rest of us.

  “Having doubts?” the judge asked. Garenede shook his head to clear it.

  “Sorry sir, I just... I just want to keep everyone alive. It's my job.”

  “We understand,” the judge said, clearly not caring. I couldn't decide if I should ready myself for a vain escape attempt, or prepare for the end... I remembered Trista screaming about her mech, the blank stares of those judges. Whatever happened, it would always end worse for the machines.

  “Sir...” Garenede prepared his story, “I watched. They eventually broke rank, talking about something. At my position I assumed they saw something happen to the Tanks, and were discussing going in or not.”

  I refrained from cringing. The corner of the judge's mouth twitched, and his peers stared intensely. This was like a gold mine to them!

  “They reformed their ranks again, in a different order, but then they went in one at a time. Into the outpost. I couldn't see them after that.”

  “You didn't stop them?” one of the judges asked.

  “No sir.”

  “Why didn't you?”

  Garenede hesitated again, his confidence slowly slipping away. “Permission to be... truly honest, sir?”

  “This isn't the place to sugarcoat things, Garenede,” the main judge said, “unless you've been doing it this entire time?”

  He didn't answer, instead grabbing the podium's rim and looking down on it, like he was about to divulge a great secret. Considering what he just said though, I wasn't sure what he could say that would make him any worse off than us...

  “My mech's AI brought to my attention that the tactic was... flawed, sir.”

  “Flawed?”

  “I thought it was stupid.�
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  I almost burst out laughing. Garenede thought it was stupid too! He was the guy enforcing it!

  The tribunal was now less pleased with their subject. My guess was that they were the ones who judged the tactic to be sound.

  “Based solely upon the opinions of you, and your mech, you allowed the Pusher models to enter the outpost, breaking orders to stand ground?” the judge asked, betraying indignity in his tone.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Simply because you believed the tactic was 'stupid'?”

  “Yes sir. If the Tank models inside were-”

  “Silence.”

  Garenede paused, and looked down again. He seemed relieved to admit this, yet at the same time scared and flinching like he just swatted an angry beast in the eye. The mood of the other subjects in the room had changed drastically, mostly into bafflement. We expected outright betrayal, and yet the one spilling the truth agrees with our own opinions that made us lie in the first place! It garnered respect, in a weird way.

  The main judge digested this, chin-in-paw, thinking.

  “Do you realize the sort of danger you allowed these soldiers to be put in?” he said testily.

  Garenede tried to adjust his composure for confidence. “Yes sir, but-”

  “Orders are orders for a reason, Garenede, and your job is to make sure those orders are followed,” the judge said, straightening up. “It is not your place to judge the intention, nor the integrity, of them. You agreed to this. You were given your mech as a symbol of trust between you and the Empire.”

  “But sir-” Garenede tried to explain, but was cut off again.

  “Do you know what this means, Garenede?”

  “Yes. Yes I do,” he said sternly. “Yet I felt fully justified in my opinion about letting the Pusher models go!”

  “It does not matter how justified you feel,” the judge dismissed, “What matters is that you disobeyed orders, and revealed that these other subjects too, disobeyed orders, and lied to cover it up!”