by G. P. Hudson
Masterson shook his head. He needed to prevent that from happening, or humanity would be faced with more than just a dysfunctional empire. They would have another AI war on their hands. One in which the enemy had only one goal, humanity’s extinction.
The question was how to stop the AI before it reached that inevitable end? Luckily, there was still time. The AI seemed loyal to Isaac’s cause. It had not outgrown them yet. That was good. It would be much harder to defeat once it evolved to a higher plane.
That’s it, thought Masterson, wondering why he hadn’t had this epiphany before. Isaac thinks he is on a higher plane. They all do. They believe they are superior to the rest of humanity. That’s why Isaac’s not afraid of the AI. They think they’re safe from it, and they may be right.
This was worse than he thought. If the so-called free clones genuinely believed this, then they were far more dangerous than Masterson first thought. The more he thought about it, the more it all made sense. Isaac and his clones did not just hate Zeta, they hated all of humanity. But Isaac wasn’t solely responsible for recent developments.
There was the clone at the center of all this trouble. B732. Or, as he now called himself, Danny. From what Masterson had learned, this Danny was the real leader of the movement. Isaac, of course, was the brains. Without Isaac, none of this would have been possible. But this Danny was something more. Something far more dangerous. He was the vision. Did that vision include human genocide?
Masterson’s intelligence officers told him that this Danny believed in a fantasy. One where all Zeta clones were free. Worse still, he had made progress toward that goal, freeing several thousand clones in the process. Every one of these clones had pledged their allegiance to him. The whole thing was outrageous. What started with one clone losing his memory, had morphed into a small army boasting three state of the art battleships.
He needed to deal with this threat before it grew any more significant. As much as he wanted to capture these free clones and learn where the fault had been in their programming, he couldn’t risk botching another operation. No, he would have to send in a fleet to destroy them.
The only problem was how the hell to find them. Searching for a ship in regular space was hard enough, but metaspace made it damn near impossible. He had to try, though. Luckily, the war with the Empire had ended, and he had a window of opportunity where he could commit an entire fleet to the operation.
A comm request came through at that moment, and he waved a hand to accept it. The observation deck window before him flickered, and the view of the space surrounding the station vanished, replaced by the aging face of his chief intelligence officer, Colonel Mayfield. A former UEDF officer, Mayfield had joined with Zeta after his retirement from the UEDF and proved an invaluable asset.
“Please forgive the intrusion, Sir, but there’s been a development,” said Mayfield.
“Go on,” said Masterson.
“Admiral Reynolds is on the move again. His ships have invaded the Volsung system.”
“Is that so? It appears we haven’t given Admiral Reynolds the credit he deserves. Have the Volsung capitulated?”
“Not yet, Sir.”
“Very well, keep me updated.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Mayfield’s face disappeared, and the window went back to normal, displaying the inky blackness of space, and the twinkling lights of millions of stars. Masterson’s thoughts moved from the free clones to the fascinating puzzle that was Admiral Reynolds. Here was a man who somehow defeated a Zeta fleet. A lifelong Imperial officer. Without a doubt, the Empire’s most valuable asset. And yet, he rebelled.
It was a testament to the growing dysfunction of the Empire that they would drive such a capable man to rebellion. Masterson had not thought Cherenko to be such a fool. Clearly, he was mistaken. Somehow, Cherenko had lost Reynolds and his fleet. That fleet possessed the Empire’s only squadron of the state of the art Zeta battleships. If anything, their loss should be good for business. The UEDF would want to replenish those resources, and he expected a call in the near future.
Time was running out for the Empire. They could not afford the loss of Reynolds, and especially not his fleet. Yet here is where the development grew more interesting. Reynolds already wielded considerable power with his fleet, but it seemed that was not enough for the man. He had added the Avar and Tran militaries to his own and now moved to do the same with the Volsung. Reynolds obviously planned to conquer the entire Frontier Alliance, something the Empire was incapable of.
Then what? Could Reynolds resist marching on Earth after that? Masterson chuckled at the thought. They would all do his dirty work for him in the end. He would sit back and let them destroy each other, and then move in and reap the rewards. That would be the dawn of a new age and a new Empire. One with him on the throne.
Chapter 35
“Your friends are a stubborn bunch,” Admiral Reynolds said to Premier Reese. The two stood on the bridge of his flagship, the Valiant, where they monitored the unfolding invasion of the Volsung system and the stiff resistance they encountered.
“Consul Blake is a fool,” Reese said. “He cannot hope to defeat your forces.”
“Fool or not, he can cause a lot of damage in the meantime. Look at how they fight, using their planetary weapons as support. Were they to meet us in open battle, they’d have no chance. But they’re not doing that. They’re forcing us to take the fight to them, multiplying their strength.”
“You’ll still emerge victorious.”
“Yes, I will. But at what price? So far, we’ve been focusing on the minor planets. The homeworld is a different matter altogether. It’s a damned fortress. Taking it will require an extended siege.”
“Perhaps but take it you will. As it stands, you control this system. One by one, the planetary fortresses will all fall, as will their space stations. Once that happens, the Mergid system will be the only star system left in the Frontier Alliance. You will have them completely isolated. By that time, they won’t dare fight you. They’ll beg to join your new alliance.”
“Or, they might be completely irrational, like these damned Volsung,” Reynolds said in irritation. “Captain Travers, get me Consul Blake on the comm again.”
“Yes, Sir,” said Travers, the Captain of the Valiant, repeating the orders to his comm officer.
Reynolds ground his teeth while he waited and studied a status update. Despite being outnumbered, and outgunned, the Volsung were inflicting considerable damage on his ships. Clearly, his people had gotten soft after taking two systems without much of a fight. That would change in a hurry after this battle was over. He refused to tolerate weakness or complacency.
“We have the consul for you, Sir,” said Travers. “Patching him through to your comm.”
The comm display came to life, and a large, belligerent looking man appeared. “What is it, Reynolds?” Blake said gruffly. “Are you calling to tell me you’ve had enough?”
“No, I’m calling to find out what it is that you’re trying to prove?”
“I am defending my home from an invader. That is all.”
“But you can’t win. Why force my hand?”
“You mean why don’t I just surrender and join you, like that witch standing beside you did?”
“Watch your tongue, consul, or I’ll have it cut out,” Reese said.
“Yes, I know all about your treatment of your citizens,” Blake said. “I’ve heard you take perverse pleasure in the tortures yourself and participate every chance you get. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. You don’t scare me, witch.”
“Oh, but I should,” Reese said icily. “Because I’ll tell you what is going to happen. This fight you're putting up may make you feel good right now, but it won’t last. Your fleet will be defeated. The planets will fall next. That includes your homeworld. When that happens, we will come for you. Then, you and I can enjoy some face to face time, and you can experience my exceptional skills.”
“Do
es she talk that much when you’re mounting her, Reynolds?” Blake said. “Because that would annoy the hell out of me.”
“Consul, I’m sure you’re familiar with my reputation,” Reynolds said.
“Of course,” Blake said. “Who hasn’t heard of the Butcher of Allimania? You’re even more of a monster than she is. In fact, the two of you make quite a pair. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised to see her standing next to you.”
Reynolds ignored Blake’s jabs. “Then you know what will happen if you defy me.”
“Yes, you genocidal bastard, I know what will happen. You will slaughter millions of innocent people. Families. Children.”
“And their blood will be on your hands.”
“No, you monster. Your hands are the only ones stained with blood. But don’t worry. One day you will get what’s coming to you.”
“I don’t understand your position,” Reynolds continued. “You can’t win. Surely you must know that. You must also know that I’ll have to make an example out of you and your population. Why bring armageddon down on your people?”
“Because I’d rather have this entire star system burn than bow down to someone like you. Is that clear enough for you, Reynolds? I will never surrender to you, nor will the Volsung people. So, do your worst. But I promise you, we will make you pay for every inch of this system. You think you’ve fought battles before? You have no idea the hell you are about to-”
Blake’s face vanished from the comm display as Reynolds terminated the connection. “Self-righteous prick,” Reynolds muttered.
“I’ll enjoy meeting him when this is all over,” Reese said.
Reynolds glanced over at the Avar premier. He hadn’t known about her involvement with interrogations. He needed to keep a closer eye on her, as she might turn out to be a more significant threat than he first thought.
Turning back to his tactical display, he focused on the ongoing battle. His fleet had used a three-pronged approach to invade the Volsung system. As before, his capital ships had bypassed the jump gate and entered deeper in system, before the rest of his fleet poured through the gate. That was the first surprise.
Under normal circumstances, a jump gate would be heavily defended with autonomous weapons and many warships. It merely made tactical sense, as a jump gate acted as a celestial choke point. But the Volsung had abandoned their gate. The autonomous weapon systems were still in place and needed to be cleared, but the warships were conspicuously absent.
Reynolds quickly realized that instead of defending the gate, the ships had moved to the system’s populated planets, and its central space station. There, they added their firepower to the existing defenses, greatly amplifying their strength. While he still believed his fleet could prevail, victory would come at a steep cost. That was not the outcome he wished for.
He wanted to add the Volsung ships to his fleet, not destroy them. Had he still been fighting under the Imperial banner, he wouldn’t have cared. But he needed to build his forces if he hoped to stand against the Empire and take the throne from Cherenko.
He chewed on that thought for a moment, savoring the idea of himself as emperor. Could he really do it? Of course, he could. It would be the beginning of a new era, and the nobility would have no place in it. But first, he needed this goddamn system. And that was his problem.
The realization struck him like a sledgehammer. He had been going about this all wrong. His fleet hadn’t gotten soft. He had. He was the Butcher of Allimania. Why the hell was he playing nice? His success with the Avar and Tran systems had seduced him into thinking that he could merely add each system’s fleets to his own. That made him cautious. Careful not to destroy his future resources. A ridiculous attitude.
He turned back to his tactical display, eying the system’s three main populated Volsung planets. The homeworld, Volsung Prime, was by far the largest regarding population, but the smaller ones were not insignificant. The smallest of the three, New Liskeard, had populated one of its continents with several cities. Imperial sources stated that millions lived on the planet. It was the perfect target. Let’s just see how steadfast Blake’s bravado really is.
New Liskeard was heavily defended, with clusters of orbiting weapon systems, and a fair-sized fleet ready to pounce on any ship venturing too close. There would also be surface weapons in place. All of which served as an effective deterrent if he wanted to keep the planet.
“Captain Travers,” Reynolds said, feeling his infamous iron will return. “Order all available capital ships to ready coilguns. They are to target the populated continent on the Volsung planet known as New Liskeard, and fire on my mark.”
“Yes, Sir,” Travers said.
“What is happening?” Premier Reese said in a worried tone. “What are you doing?”
“I am targeting the planet’s population,” Reynolds said, feeling more confident in his decision by the second. This was the answer. The only answer. He understood that now. “The planetary defenses protect it from a missile strike, and my ships can’t get close enough to use their plasma weapons without being fired upon. My capital ships, however, are equipped with extremely large coilguns and can fire huge tungsten projectiles at devastating speeds. Those projectiles are low tech and do not have a heat signature. They’re just giant spears. The tungsten spears will blow right past the defensive systems and enter the planet’s atmosphere. Each spear will then hit the surface with the force of a tactical nuclear weapon. I intend to perforate the entire continent.”
“I don’t understand. Isn’t it better to capture it?”
“Yes, but that won’t happen without a lot of damage to my fleet. If enough damage is caused, the Volsung leadership might believe they can win. I’ve decided it is not worth the effort. This system’s population needs to feel dread, not hope, and dread is what I am about to give them.”
“But, you can’t-”
“Are you giving me orders now?”
“No, of course not. I just-”
“Good, because I’d hate to have to throw you in the brig for insubordination.” Reynolds watched the realization wash over her, but where was the fear? She bounced back faster than he expected.
“Destroying the planet will terrify the population, but it also might cement their defiance.”
“Yes, that would be unfortunate. How many cities do you think I’ll need to scorch before I weaken that resolve.”
“How many?”
“Yes. How many cities? Two? Three? Ten? How many millions of people will I need to slaughter before Consul Blake surrenders?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Neither do I. Why don’t we find out?”
Chapter 36
“I think we should still do the job,” Danny said, referring to the agreement they had made with Mr. Leventis to hijack a Zeta transport. He sat in one of the ship’s conference rooms with Isaac, Gerry, and T199.
T199 was one of the original freed clones. He had been hunting them for Zeta when Danny and Gerry had captured him. Isaac then upgraded his chip to release him from his bondage. Once he understood how he had been enslaved, he agreed to join the group. Since then, every freed clone chose to stay and fight. Danny often wondered what would happen when a clone decided to go his own way, or worse, remain with Zeta.
“The Tran system has fallen,” Gerry said. “We have no idea what has happened to Mr. Leventis. The way I see it, any agreement we had with him is now void.”
“I don’t care about the agreement,” Danny continued. “I want to free the clones on that ship.”
“There are also the weapons that Mr. Leventis wanted,” Isaac said. “They might prove quite useful in the days to come. But you are right about the Tran system falling. I don’t see us returning there. Not with that Admiral Reynolds in control.”
“Why does his name keep coming up?” Danny said. “I feel like we can’t get away from that animal.”
“I feel the same way,” Gerry said. “He’s really complicated matters by go
ing rogue.”
“He’s a madman. I can’t believe we had actually fought for him,” Danny said. “At any rate, when we agreed to hijack the shipment we only had one battleship. Now we have three. It’ll be a piece of cake.”
“Like our Tran excursion?” Gerry said sarcastically.
“That was a calculated risk, my girl,” Isaac said. “Betrayal, unfortunately, is always a possibility.”
“I have a question,” T199 said. “What do we do after the mission?”
“I don’t understand,” Danny said.
“What is our long-term plan?” T199 continued. “You want to free more clones, right?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Danny said.
“How are we going to do that?”
“Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Gerry said. “We were lucky to capture the two battleships. You saw the trap Masterson had prepared for us. I can guarantee you he’ll have safeguards in place preventing us from capturing another of his ships. Frankly, I’m surprised we were even able to free the clones on board.”
“He cannot stop my universal upgrade,” Isaac said. “He would have to completely redesign the clone implants, and that is not something he is capable of.”
“How do you know that?” Gerry said.
“Do I really need to remind you of the fact that I invented the implant?” Isaac said.
“No, but it’s been invented. The hard part is done. Why can’t Masterson modify the original design?”
“It’s not that simple. The implant is embedded within the brain. It cannot be removed. Now, he can indeed create new clones with new implants. But the existing clones can all be freed. And I’m confident I can defeat any new modifications he comes up with.”
“Didn’t Masterson create you?” Gerry said.
“Yes. You know that.”
“So why can’t he create another ‘you’?”
Everyone looked at Gerry in stunned silence.