by M. D. Cooper
It was there that he met Garza.
Back then, the man who was now in charge of the most important covert division had been tasked with ensuring that the actions of the burgeoning civilization were not visible to the people of the Inner Stars. Animus’s arrival had shown that the terraformers were not being cautious enough, and that had bolstered Garza and given him more power in the FGT.
So began their long relationship, which had now culminated in Animus playing an important part in Garza’s work, ultimately becoming the general’s most trusted ally…. Which was why he was surprised when Garza didn’t reach out to him over the course of his conversation with A1.
It was normal for the general to have such conversations in private, and Animus had enough to do that it didn’t need to constantly monitor the general or keep tabs on what the human was up to. Especially because the being currently filling the role of Garza was a clone—a nugget of information that Animus had kept to itself.
It had objected to the general’s plan to create clones, but the man had been adamant. Nearly two years had passed since the original Garza had left Durgen Station, and the chaos that absence had caused with the clones had nearly brought their whole enterprise to its knees. To set things right, Animus had ultimately decided to support one of the clones in its belief that it was the original, and then to suggest that it bring all the other clones in and eliminate them.
Animus’s hope was that the original would come back, but it suspected that was a foolish expectation. The original Garza was either dead or captured, and if the general had been captured, then seeing his plans come to fruition was the best way for them to ultimately be reunited. As such, the AI worked tirelessly to drive the general’s plans forward.
Tired of waiting, the AI finally took the time to look into the room where Garza was meeting with the human that styled itself A1. Animus saw them engaged in relatively banal conversation, something the general rarely bothered with.
Lisa Wrentham was a known quantity to Animus. It had conversed with her on many thousands of occasions, and though it had been some time since they had been in close proximity to one another, the AI grew suspicious of her behavior as well. Several turns of phrase and small physical tics did not align with its prior observations.
While the humans in the room discussed items of no significant consequence, Animus activated the room’s passive sensors and began to observe the four Widows in greater detail, looking for any clue as to why A1 and Garza were discussing topics such as the next Mid-Summer’s Ball at New Sol.
For a moment, it considered that their conversation was useful in that the pair was discussing which members of the admiralty and praetor’s cabinet would be in attendance. However, despite its general utility, the nature of the conversation lacked certain elements of subtext that Animus would have expected.
As the passive sensors accumulated data regarding the room’s occupants, the AI didn’t see anything amiss beyond the verbal conversation. As expected, the Widows were identical to one another. Each exhibited the same biological and technical signatures Animus had observed the last time one of their kind had been aboard Durgen Station.
Still not satisfied that all was well, Animus began to examine the Perilous Dream and all activity surrounding the Widows’ visit.
After several seconds of examination, the AI found that the pinnace’s airlock had remained open for longer than it should have—nearly thirty seconds. In addition, two resupply shuttles had departed from the Widows’ ship and docked with the station shortly afterward. More comm traffic than was expected had passed between the ship and those shuttles.
Animus examined the logs of that comm traffic and found that it was fully encrypted—which wasn’t unusual for the Widows, A1 was notoriously paranoid—but that didn’t do anything to explain the volume.
The AI’s research had only taken a minute, and though it had not found anything concrete, it reached out to the general.
the general replied.
Animus didn’t believe a word of it. The general’s speech pattern was off. The most probable explanation was that A1 had subverted Garza for some reason.
It was rare that the AI felt what humans would term a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction, but this was one of those times. The urge to put the station on high alert and summon guards to apprehend the Widows was strong, but Animus took a moment and considered a more measured approach.
Learning what A1—if it really was A1—wanted on the station and with Garza was more important than saving a clone. Especially since another clone was only an hour away from docking with Durgen Station.
Animus had already taken a backup of the current Garza’s mind and added it to the MetaMind the general had been building. There was no uniqueness in the clone other than a few days’ worth of experiences since its last mental backup, which would be no great loss.
Animus checked on the MetaMind to find that it had just come back online. The SAI queried it, running all of the recent observations it had made through the NSAI construct and considering its evaluations.
The mental conglomerate agreed with Animus’s assessment that the Widows were behaving uncharacteristically. It also agreed that the survival of any one clone was not important. It also added the assertion that if the Widows were undertaking an infiltration of Durgen Station, they would not do so with just one ship.
Animus knew that A1 had an entire fleet at her disposal, and that she had likely taken steps to ensure that the commanders of said fleet were loyal first and foremost to her.
The AI accessed Garza’s records and saw that nearly two hundred ships would have been in the A1 System. It was possible that they had all jumped into Karaske. Their stealth technology should not have hidden them from the Guard’s IFF systems, but it was safe to assume that A1 would have taken steps to render her ships undetectable.
This changes everything, Animus thought. I, and Durgen Station, are under imminent threat.
* * * * *
Lisa Wrentham had considered the AI to be an ally, and A1 believed that their long friendship would buy a little time, or perhaps a less extreme initial response, but she balanced that hope against the knowledge that Animus was not known for emotional attachment. The AI had never even assumed a gender in its human dealings—something that A1 had always liked about the being.
The nature of that thought brought A1 up short. Though she was allowing herself to fall into a role, to behave as though she was A1, a line had been in place in her mind; a line that said she used to be Cary Richards, but was now a Widow.
She had not ‘always liked’ anything about Animus, because she’d never even encountered the AI until this day.
I was Cary Richards. I am now A1. But I will be Cary again someday.
After repeating the thought several times, she walked to one of the windows and looked out over the station.
There, she thought. Tangel is my mother. I’m not losing myself…not too much, at least.
The four Widows and Garza boarded the dockcar. True to her word, Saanvi took control and flew the vehicle down to the ring’s surface, gliding over the lower towers until they came to a bay belonging to one of Garza’s front corporations. The dockcar settled on the deck within, and the group disembarked, wordlessly walking past deckhands and other personnel.
A1 followed suit and then walked off the lift.
Saanvi didn’t say anything, but A1 could feel the judgment coming from her sister. She supposed that putting a man’s life on the line to see what level of suspicion an AI had was out of character for Cary, but it was perfectly normal for A1…and for Lisa Wrentham. In a way, she felt more worried about the other two Widows than the general. They were like her children, and she’d mourn their loss if anything happened to them.
She followed Saanvi into the stairwell next to the lift, glad for the one universal standard that all stations and buildings followed: if there was a lift, there were stairs nearby.
They descended the three decks without incident, and when they reached the level with the hidden ops center, the lift doors were open, and the Widows were standing with Garza between them.
A1 didn’t bother to pretend they had ridden the lift, and simply disabled her armor’s stealth when she reached Garza’s side, Saanvi following suit.
The ops center was several hundred meters down the corridor—which was lightly trafficked with local workers. After double-checking to ensure that the other pedestrians were all where they were expected to be, the group set off.
A1 considered that, evaluating the ops center’s location. It was well situated, with several passages converging on it. On top of multiple egress points, it had direct access to evac pods. The center’s bulkheads were reinforced, and it also had grav shielding.
In short, it was a veritable fortress within the ring.
Once we get there, the AI will have to declare all-out war on us if it wants to get to Garza.
The thought caused A1 a measure of concern, and she checked on Team Three, finding that the team’s four Widows had already reached the ops center. They were still stealthed, two setting up inside, and two more covering the corridor that A1 and her group were in.
It’s a straight shot; we’ll be there in four minutes.
The Widows took off, Garza stumbling afterward as A1 managed his strides along with hers. The group only made it a dozen meters before an alarm blared and the emergency bulkhead slammed down. Saanvi was only a meter from it, and skidded to a stop, slamming a shoulder into the thick alloy. A1 whipped her head around and saw another barrier slam down twenty meters behind.
“Shit,” she swore, about to direct Garza to provide her with overrides when the Link cut out. She looked to Saanvi. “Well, I guess it’s safe to assume that Animus suspects us.”
Saanvi shook her head, laughing softly.
“What?” A1 asked.
“Nothing, just glad to see that you’ve regained your sense of humor. A1’s a bit of a sourpuss.”
“I—” A1 began, then glanced at the other two Widows.
“Don’t worry,” Saanvi replied. “They have selective hearing now.”
A1 slumped against the bulkhead. “Good, because the only thing I can think to do right now is have a good, old-fashioned panic attack.”
DETERMINISM
STELLAR DATE: 10.12.8949 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS Falconer, approaching Durgen Station
REGION: Karaske System, Rimward of Orion Nebula, Orion Freedom Alliance
“Tightbeam established with the Perilous Dream,” the comm officer announced.
Joe didn’t even acknowledge the statement before reaching out to his daughters, forgoing all formality.
It was Faleena who replied.
Joe snorted, shaking his head as he replied.
A rueful chuckle slipped past Joe’s lips.
Joe realized he was pacing across the Falconer’s bridge, and forced himself to stop.
During the recent Widow incursion on the I2, it had occurred to Joe that the Widows were, in some respects, innocent victims of Lisa Wrentham’s megalomania. Now, with his daughters adding to their mental compulsions, his girls were also adding to the Widow-clones victimization. He consoled himself with the thought that the assassin-clones were going to be used one way or another. At least this mission would see an end to how they were being forced to dance to another’s tune.
Granted, it’s not much different for them than any other enlisted soldier. You go where you’re ordered, and you very well may die when you get there.
Stars, this war sucks.
Faleena passed a datapacket outlining the positions they intended to take, and the opposition they expected to meet.
>
Joe’s heart thudded in his chest, but he schooled his emotions, knowing that his daughters’ safety now depended on his ability to keep a level head.
Joe drew a deep breath, taking a few seconds to prepare for what was to come. He turned to the forward holodisplay, watching the thirty rings of Durgen Station rotate around the station’s central sphere, which had once been a natural moon.
Something about the visual impressed upon him how far from home they were, fighting a war with a clear purpose of decimating their enemies so severely that they would desist from attacking New Canaan—which no one expected to be a long-term solution.
With that total honesty regarding what was really going on firmly in mind, he turned to Captain Tracey.
“Drop stealth and activate shields. I’m passing targets for the assault teams. Comm, get me their stationmaster.”
PART 3 – AIRTHA
UPDATES
STELLAR DATE: 10.10.8949 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: ISS I2, Airtha
REGION: Huygens System, Transcend Interstellar Alliance
Bob’s voice carried a wry tone, and Tangel wondered what was amusing the AI so much. Given that the monumental task of securing the Airthan ring still lay ahead, anything other than general exhaustion felt wrong.