by P P Corcoran
“There is no requirement for me to accompany you, Commander. The device before you will meet your needs. My essential systems, my consciousness if you will, will remain available to you while you are out of contact with the Savior. I will have limited capabilities, but I will be able to conduct many of my core functions”
What Okal had initially dismissed out of hand now made a certain amount of sense. “Will infiltration be available?” Okal asked as the seed of a plan germinated in his mind.
“Affirmative, Commander. I will remain able to access and control any computer system that comes within range of this device. Though limited, the device should have sufficient storage capability for me to retain all the data I’m likely to come across in either the Alonan or the Commonwealth’s primitive systems.”
Now Okal’s brain went into overdrive as the seed of a plan began to bud and expand. After they had learned the truth that the Alonans had not been entirely truthful with them Okal had originally planned to escape from Foram and offer his services to the Commonwealth. The destruction of Alona and Emperor Lura’s offer to share his new Saiph based technology with the Commonwealth had forced him to swiftly alter his plan. Lura had had no choice but to reveal the truth to him, a truth that the Alonan Emperor had no idea Okal was already well aware of. Okal once more agreed to work alongside the Lura though he was able to leverage the Alonan for direct access to the mass of Commonwealth scientist and engineers that flocked to Foram to gaze in awe at what the Alonans had achieved with Saiph help. And all the while Chera had been stealthily accessing every Commonwealth system that she could. Building up a vast sum of knowledge on not only the Commonwealth but on the Turak also. Even the Commonwealth’s most sensitive data proved easy for the advanced computing power of Chera to reach. One of the first tasks Okal had set Chera was to penetrate the Commonwealth communications systems which the AI did in under an hour as encrypted block after block fell to her artificial intelligence that was generations ahead of anything the Commonwealth had even imagined was possible. In less than a week the AI had access to Commonwealth computer systems and data cores throughout known space. Nothing escaped her electronic tendrils.
“And how will we get this device past Alonan and Commonwealth security? They are bound to thoroughly search us prior to leaving and even if you can fool their electronic scanning equipment a simple physical inspection will turn up the device.”
“I have considered that, Commander, and I believe I have a solution.” Answered Chera and something in her tone made Okal slightly wary but he decided to indulge her.
“Very well, Chera, I’m willing to listen.”
“Surgical implantation.” The AI said without hesitation.
Now, sat on the bridge of the Vengeance Okal tried not to reach around to his left hip where a fresh scar itched as the pseudo skin Doctor Salo had placed over the fresh scar to conceal it from prying eyes. By sheer force of will Okal refrained from jumping up from his seat and using both hands to scratch the niggling irritation.
“How many life pods are there?”
“The Alonans have detected only five life pods which remain viable, Commander, the others have sustained significant damage and are no longer of sustaining life.”
Okal clenched his jaw in worthless frustration for the lives that had been sacrificed once more in the Supreme Leader’s futile war.
“Commander, I have detected something which I believe may be of interest to you.”
“What is it Chera?”
“A communications link, subtle enough that I do not believe the Alonans have detected yet.”
“Analysis?”
Chera paused for the briefest of seconds as she confirmed her analysis of the link before answering. “I believe there is another artificial intelligence at work in this system, Commander.”
The revelation stunned Okal, his jaw dropped open before he could stop it. In a panic, he hastily glanced around the bridge. The bridge crew were going about their duties, he relaxed, no one had seen his reaction. He resumed his silent conversation with Chera.
“What is the location of the AI? Was it aboard one of the Saiph cruisers?”
“No, Commander. A data link operating on a very obscure frequency connected the Saiph. However, I have detected the same signal emanating from the Sphere. The source of the signal is there.”
“Was the AI controlling the cruisers?” Asked Okal before answering the question himself. “No, of course not. What’s the point of a living crew if a ship can be completely controlled remotely?” Think Okal, think, he mentally berated himself. Why have a link to a distant AI? An answer started to reveal itself through the fog of confusion.
“Chera, when the Supreme Leader fled home, how common was the use of systems like you?”
“It was common for artificial intelligences of the time to be integrated into every walk of life. Though not as advanced as I, the AIs of the time could run most tasks autonomously, Commander.”
Okal raised his eyes until they centered on the massive sphere hovering in the holo cube which filled the entire front wall of the bridge, wondering if he had discovered a way to halt the bloodshed.
✽✽✽
MED BAY - INS VENGEANCE
Geoll’s eyelids fluttered as consciousness returned to him. Bright light caused him to scrunch them closed. A sudden wave of nausea caused his head to spin and the contents of his stomach threatened to violently evacuate through his mouth. A gentle hand touched his shoulder and an unfamiliar, though reassuring voice, spoke to him.
“Lie still for a moment. You have got a nasty bump on your head and you removed a pretty big chunk of your tongue. I’ve repaired the damage and given you a mild pain blocker which might make you a bit dizzy but the side effects will wear off in a few minutes.”
Geoll did as he was told and, as promised, the dizziness dissipated, and he was able to open his eyes without feeling that he was about to throw up. With an effort he managed to prop himself up to discover that he was occupying a bed in what a medical facility. Arrayed along the walls were a number of other beds some of which held other injured Saiph. Looking around he was confused by strange writing above the door and at various points along the walls. His confusion was completed by an elderly Saiph female dressed in a one-piece dark blue uniform. A name tag above her left breast identified her as Doctor Salo while a tag on the right had the word Savior emblazoned across it. Geoll struggled to recall ever meeting a Doctor Salo or having seen a ship going by the name Savior in the Saiph fleet. Ordinarily all Saiph vessels were known simply by their hull number. Not even the Supreme Leaders ship had a specific name. Geoll turned his head at her approach and his eyes fell again onto the undecipherable writing on the facilities walls.
“Where am I?” Geoll demanded as Salo stopped by his bed.
The woman graced him with a soft smile. “Somewhere safe.” She reassured him. “What should I call you?”
Geoll looked at the woman incredulously. “Do you not know me?” He said somewhat taken aback by the doctor’s ignorance. Surely his was probably the most recognizable face among all Saiph. “I am Geoll. Caretaker of the Saiph.” Salo looked back at him with a blank expression. Ignoring her Geoll swung his legs out of the bed and stood upright.
“What of my crew?”
The smile disappeared from Salo’s face to be replaced with a sorrowful expression. “I regret to inform you that we only managed to rescue four other survivors.”
Geoll felt unable to breath, as if somebody had physically punched him in the stomach. Only four? Four out of the hundreds who had set sail with him that morning. Anger twisted in Geoll’s gut his eyes searched for the door and he took an unsteady pace toward it. Where had his reinforcements been? Where had the Supreme Leader been when he and his crews had needed him most? Why had he not come?
“Where are you going?” Salo demanded making to grab his arm.
Geoll shook her off continuing his unsteady progress toward the door answering her que
stion over his shoulder. “I shall speak with the Supreme Leader and demand to know why he sacrificed us to the half-breeds.”
A firmer hand grabbed his arm and spun him around and Salo’s face was unrecognizable as the gentle woman from only a moment before. “Half-breeds! You ignorant, brain washed simpleton. If it had not been for those so-called half-breeds, you and what was left of your crew would be dead! Frozen corpses preserved forever traveling through space. A testament to that genocidal maniac’s lust for power. No wonder the Elders locked him up.”
Geoll backed away from Salo aghast that she could say such words. “Silence! You speak lies! It was the Elders who were crazed. It was they who brought Saiph to its needs. It was they who refused to listen to the Supreme Leaders words of wisdom.” Screamed Geoll even as something deep inside him doubted those very words.
A short, sharp laugh came from Salo’s mouth as she poked a bony finger into Geoll’s chest. “It was your beloved Supreme Leader that destroyed Saiph. His puppets bombs and missiles that burned a civilization that had existed for millennia to the ground. Men, women, children. A world turned to ash.”
The pleads of the asteroid miners begging him to spare them raced unbidden into Geoll’s mind. “No! Lies! Lies!” Shouted Geoll as he backed away from her. “You have no proof of these things!”
Tears formed in Salo’s eyes, her voice barely a whisper as her mind filled with images of death and destruction that she thought long buried. “I have no need of proof Geoll. I was there.”
It was too much for Geoll. The man slowly sank to the floor, tears escaping from beneath closed eyelids that did nothing to block out the images of missiles impacting defenseless habitat domes or lasers piercing the skins of unarmed cargo vessels as they fled the wrath of the Supreme Leader.
A pair of Alonan medics entered the room alerted by the shouting, worried looks on their faces. The last thing they had expected to see was a Saiph curled up on the floor softly weeping with Doctor Salo bent over him assuring him everything would be alright they paused until Salo beckoned them to help her lift Geoll back onto the bed where he body continued to be wracked by his sobbing. A man who had come to realize the dark deeds he had committed had been all for a lie.
✽✽✽
“Is he going to recover?” Okal asked Salo as they both stood a few paces from the bed where Geoll lay staring at the ceiling with empty eyes.
Salo rubbed at her chin while she considered her answer. “Hard to tell. If we were back on Savior, I could begin him on a regime of psychological impairment meds that would give his mind time to process the fact that his entire life has been a lie.” Salo shrugged her shoulders. “As it is, he needs something to give him a new goal in life. Something that will bring meaning, penance if for want of a better word for the acts he has committed.”
Okal indicated the other Saiph that occupied beds in the Med Bay. “What about your other patients?”
“I expect them all to recover well. The Alonans have questioned them and apart from that one over in the corner.” Salo jerked her head to where an Alonan with a pistol holstered at his waist stood beside a bed holding a shackled Saiph. “He’s a diehard believer. Tried to stab me with my own stylus last time I got too close.”
“And the other two?” Asked Okal.
A scowl formed on Salo’s face. “Glad to be alive. They are so young. I was playing with toys at their age.”
Okal looked back to where Geoll was lying.
“They keep asking about him.”
“I’m sorry.” Okal said as he turned to face the doctor again.
“I said, they keep asking about Geoll.”
“That’s not unusual. Crew would be expected to ask after their commander if he were injured.”
“If he had been their commander.”
Okal gave Salo a questioning look. “What do you mean, if Geoll had been their commander?”
“This was only a training cruise. A final test to see if they were fit enough to join the fleet. Apparently Geoll saw it as his personal mission to ensure that now the Supreme Leader had awoken, succeeded Geoll as leader and the war had begun that only the best serve with the fleet.”
Okal looked from Salo to the shell of a man lying motionless on the bed and then back to Salo. “Are you telling me that Geoll was once the ultimate authority within the Sphere.”
“That’s what they told the Alonan who carried out the interrogation.”
Okal bent at the waist, resting his hands on the bar at the end of Geoll’s bed. His eyes searched the face of the Saiph immobile figure mulling over what Chera and he had discussed earlier. Could this man hold the key to it all?
“May I speak with him?” Okal asked Salo as he walked past her obviously intending on doing so no matter what the doctor said.
“Of course,” she said, “I’ll get out of your way, shall I?” Before turning on her heel and walking away to check on her other patients.
Okal sat on the edge of Geoll’s bed, oblivious to Salo’s departure. The pale, lightly furred face motionless as a corpse. The eyes staring off into the distance.
“Geoll,” Okal said loud enough that he hoped it would penetrate the near catatonic state the man had descended into, “I need your help to stop the Supreme Leader. Stop the killing of your people.”
Geoll’s face showed a flicker of movement. A solitary blink.
“Will you help me?”
Geoll blinked again. His head turned to face Okal. A spark of light in those dead eyes.
“Yes.”
✽✽✽
LEAD CRUISER - FIRST WING - SAIPH FLEET
“My revised order stands, Trakl.” Said the Supreme Leader to the clearly angry Saiph officer who had assumed command of Third Wing with the presumed loss of Geoll. “I will not risk the fleet in a forlorn gesture. The half-breeds murdered Caretaker Geoll and the brave crew of his ships. And I, your Supreme Leader, must consider the bigger picture. Instead of rushing headlong into battle, we shall remain secure behind the fortifications of the Sphere until I -” The Supreme Leader looked pointedly at Trakl, “and I alone decide to act. Now, will you obey my orders, or will I relieve you of command?”
For a moment it appeared to the Supreme Leader that Trakl would defy him, then Trakl’s shoulders drooped and his downcast gaze signaled his acquiescence before his wavering voice confirmed it. “Your orders shall be obeyed, Supreme Leader.”
The Supreme Leader killed the link without further conversation. Foral who had been standing to one side stepped closer to the Supreme Leader so no other member of the bridge crew could overhear their conversation.
“That one is going to be trouble.”
“Agreed.” Nodded the Supreme Leader. “His loyalty to Geoll, though admirable, may become troublesome in the future. Arrange for him to be reassigned. Have it dressed as a promotion from a grateful leader to a loyal servant of the Saiph.”
“And what is our next move to be?” Asked Foral referring to the enemy fleet which now hung in space beyond the effective weapons envelope of the Spheres defenses.
“Our walls are thick my friend and our defenses are formidable. Lorai did her job well. While we sit comfortably increasing our strength daily the half-breeds ships will require constant replenishment and maintenance. Let us leave them beyond our walls to fall into disrepair and then, when the time is right, we will launch ourselves upon them.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MASKIROVKA
ADMIRAL’S BRIEFING ROOM | TDF ITUS
“I don’t like it, Admiral. I don’t like it one bit.” Scowled Analisa Chavez leveling an accusing finger at the Alonan who sat opposite her in complete disregard for etiquette. “And I would have thought that you, Emperor Lura, would have been the last to sign up such an off the wall plan.”
If the Alonan took offense, then it failed to register on his impassive face. “I will admit, Admiral Chavez, that when Okal approached me I was initially more annoyed that he had chosen to smuggle a piece of
his ships AI aboard the Vengeance than he proposed boarding the Sphere on a mission that even he admits has minimal survival odds.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Came a low, grumbling voice from the back of the room.”
John Radford threw a scowl at the black uniformed man who had made the remark only for Vladimir Egnorov to mouth a silent ‘what?’ The commander of Thunder had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and John wondered how he was managing to keep going considering the mad rush to get his troopers and their equipment ready at such short notice for an operation that John admitted could have been sketched out on the back of a very small piece of paper. John tuned back into what was being said around the table trusting that Vladimir would refrain from further comment.
“Who’s going to tell the Turak that we are planning to save 1.8 billion of their blood enemies?” Asked Robert Lewis. “And that’s not me volunteering.” He followed up quickly. There was a ripple of nervous laughter from around the table. Everyone had seen the sensor data on the truly massive warships at the heart of the Turak Battle Groups. The Commonwealth intelligence shops had nicknamed Dominator Class and the name had stuck. At over three kilometers long they massed in at more than four of the Commonwealth’s Bismarck Class battleships combined and if the data was reliable, then they had just as much punching power. Nobody in this room was foolish enough to think going up against one of those monsters would be a cake walk.
“I have made the decision that War Chief Vek will not be made aware of this part of the operation for a variety of reasons.” John said straight faced his demeanor signaling that as far as he was concerned that particular topic was closed.