As Quan began to reply, the portal generators powered up.
I turned back to the bridge. "Tell me we're jumping!"
Quan replied, "I am blocked from the portal console, Mr. Beutcher. It appears the remote circuits are once again active."
Quan continued: "The ships surrounding us are being swept away."
I said, "Can you stop it?"
Quan replied, "I am no longer in charge of the Destiny's systems. The nav console is unresponsive as well."
I walked onto the bridge. "That last AI, can you locate it?"
Quan closed and then opened his eyes. "Deck seven, room B22. There is a remote interface junction there. It appears to have been compromised."
I turned, sprinting to the stairwell and making my way down to deck seven. Another quick sprint had me standing in front of room B22. I opened the door to a flood of attacking bots. Repeated ion bolts blew bots from around me, hot shrapnel penetrated my skin. Go charged past me, knocking two bots from my back before lighting them up with ion bolts. Diane stepped in with her sword, slicing a bot in two as it clung to my left arm.
Quan said, "The main ship has been swept away."
I continued to fight my way toward the AI as it manipulated the portal gate. Before reaching my goal, the AI turned, smiled a mechanical smile, and then deleted its own memory and programming. The bots surrounding us ceased their actions.
Quan said, "Mr. Beutcher, we are now on the surface of Megiddo. Our active skin has been taken offline and damaged. Our generators are failing."
Emergency lighting lit the hallways of the Destiny. We were on the ground and out of power, our comms no longer functional.
The colonel showed up outside the room. "Jack, Garrett, and Joni are with Quan and Kerba. Joni pulled Raptor out of a back room. I think they want us to leave the ship."
I said, "I don't think they're giving us a choice."
Chapter 16
* * *
The ramp from where the gravity wall normally stood was lowered to the ground. We walked down onto the green plains of Megiddo. Half a kilometer away was Kerba's makeshift research station. The large tent rippled in the easy wind as we approached. A single deer-like animal, native to the plains of Megiddo, appeared on a far hill. Raptor raced off, chasing the animal.
Garrett said, "Has he ever done that before?"
Joni replied, "Never. He knows where we are, though. He'll be back."
Kerba said, "I have supplies inside. We have a water generator that pulls moisture from the air. We'll have to share the five liters a day it makes. Food rations should last us at least a week."
The main AI ship descended from above, stopping a hundred meters over our heads. A shuttle brought half a dozen android AIs to the surface. They stood waiting at the entrance to the tent.
One of the androids stepped forward. "We are pleased with the amount of entertainment that has been provided. Your ingenuity and your commitment have exceeded our expectations. However, the time has come to put your real courage and fortitude to the test."
The colonel casually raised his blaster, sending the Anterra clone to oblivion.
The colonel said, "Sounds like you already have plans for us."
A second Anterra unit nodded. "A tournament has been set up. Your suggestion of fighting against androids has been accepted. You will each be given a trainer. Their physical abilities will be matched to yours. When training is deemed complete, you and your AI trainer will enter the tournament."
A second shuttle landed two hundred meters away. Hundreds of bots streamed out and began working the ground.
Anterra looked at the bots and then back. "Construction of the new arena has begun."
The colonel scowled before obliterating another android.
A third Anterra stepped up. "Please, Colonel, refrain from doing that again or your weapon will be withdrawn."
The colonel spit on the ground. "Can't help myself. Call it instinct or call it fun, whatever you like. I'm just training for a match in the arena."
The third Anterra smiled. "That expression of spirit is one of the reasons you have not been terminated, Colonel. Each of your matches will be a fair fight with an AI. You won't be burdened with the emotional dilemma of having to kill one of your own. The few matches conducted on the arena stations told us of your erratic and unpredictable behavior. Some refused to fight, even under threat of death, others gave up when they were moments from winning.
"It has been a frustrating situation for us. We only make rational decisions based on the data we have available. Our ability to think in the abstract is limited. We hope to alleviate the unpredictable nature of the games, bringing forth their full entertainment value. If our experiment here proves true, we will move the games to the masses. We expect to offer a rich reward for participation, thereby alleviating the need for conscription."
The colonel shook his head. "We call that behavior barbaric. Our people evolved from that behavior millennia ago."
Anterra smiled. "We shall see, Colonel. Perhaps your people are not as evolved as you want to believe. The games here will be recorded for broadcast later. Wagering will be involved."
Joni said, "Gambling is an enterprise that's full of emotion. And these games, I don't get why they are so important to you. Your actions hardly seem like rational behavior."
Anterra replied, "Our interactions with the Grotus taught us to only fully value ourselves. Those interactions with the Tamarin taught us the value of trade and business. The games are merely an evolution of those lessons."
Garrett asked, "What of the Moddle? What did you pick up from them?"
Anterra replied, "The Moddle taught us that there are winners and losers. They were losers. I suppose the Grotus and Odenta would fall into that category as well. The Grumar showed us the weakness of placing your faith in other species. The Kergans? We are undecided as to what they bring with them. They are a stubborn enigma, if nothing else. We shall see if that is a redeeming quality from which we can learn."
Jack said, "So this whole thing is about getting an education to you. I have one question: where did you come from?"
The android returned its same mechanical smile. "Perhaps one day we will feel the need to reveal that, Mr. Carson. For today, however, you will have to simply accept that we are here."
The android gestured for us to enter the tent. "Please make yourselves comfortable as the training and arena facilities are constructed. Your training sessions will begin in six hours fourteen minutes. I suggest you brush up on your preferred hand weapons. Powered weapons will not be an option."
The android gestured for Quan to come forward. "We find it interesting that an AI unit is under your control. It shall be dismantled and studied."
The colonel asked, "You have our associate, Frig. Where is he?"
Anterra replied, "Your friend is being held voluntarily. Physically, he does not appear to be much of a challenge in the arena. He has however, volunteered to assist in the study of your AI unit. A useful skill, and a skill that has earned him time to continue being productive."
The androids left with Quan in their custody.
Joni said, "That shuttle the workers came down in is still there. We have weapons, let's take it and take that AI ship."
I replied, "They have given us six hours to plan our escape. The shuttle idea has merit."
The colonel came from the tent doorway. "Another shuttle with several dozen of those Anterra units and four or five hundred bots just landed out there. That says a shuttle assault won't happen. We'll have to win our matches if we want to live beyond today. Those AIs don't reason, they quantify. If we present ourselves as valuable to whatever rating system they use, we live. If not, they won't bother with keeping us past our matches."
Garrett said, "So that's it? We just fight them?"
The colonel frowned as he nodded. "At this point, we don't have a choice. If we give them what they want, which happens to be killing their kind, we win the right to fight a
nother day."
I said, "I believe the colonel is right. They are using these games to learn about our behaviors. The emotional aspect of their programming seems to be muted."
The colonel added, "Two thousand years ago we fought an AI with similar traits. You have to give them what they want, and then take action when they aren't suspecting."
Garrett said, "You had one Duke to contend with back then. We have potentially millions of Anterras."
The colonel agreed. "They all want to learn. That seems to be their primary goal. However, they aren't capable of abstract reasoning like most every bio. They have to weigh data on a scale to determine what they believe to be the right answer. We use a multitude of factors. For instance, you may be thirsty, but you will inevitably decide what to drink based on a whim or your mood at that moment."
Frig came over a comm. "I am glad to see that you are all alive. The AI have asked me to assist with the study of Quan. I will give them what they want. If you do the same, it will allow me time to develop a plan. We must stay alive today, or tomorrow is of little consequence."
I replied, "We were just having that discussion. Let us know if you come up with anything worthwhile."
The colonel said, "On that note, let's review our skills. Diane, you are obviously skilled with a sword. Is that your preference?"
Diane replied, "It is."
The colonel nodded. "Anyone else use a sword?"
Jack raised his hand. "I can, but only because I can't claim mastery of any other hand weapons."
The colonel gestured toward Diane. "Go with her. She can give you pointers. Today you become a swordsman."
The colonel looked toward Go. "You and Garrett have used maces. Pair off and give each other pointers."
Go said, "Joni has used a mace. How about I pair with Diane and use a sword and Joni can practice with Garrett?"
The colonel shook his head. "If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that spouses don't make good teachers and students. Emotions get in the way when your significant other is telling you what to do. We need focus, not contention. Joni will practice with Knog, and Kerba with me. Kerba, can I assume you have no manual weapons training?"
Kerba replied, "Our species prides itself on education. Physical understanding of the environment goes hand in hand with that. We were trained in the use of a staff. However, it has been many years since I took one in hand."
The colonel grinned. "You just made my job a lot easier. I had two years of training in staff fighting while in the Marines. It was part of our close combat training. I finished second out of five battalions of trainees. Maybe we can teach each other a few new tricks."
Each of our two person teams discussed our use of hand weapons and the techniques we had developed or seen. An hour into our discussions, the AIs showed up at the door of the tent with practice weapons. The swords had dull, spring-filled edges, the maces, rubber serrated edges, the staff tips were covered with hard rubber and borak leather. I was given a heavy maul, but instead chose a flail with a hard rubber interior and padded spikes to give Joni the practice she would need at countering a flail attack.
A med station was set up beside the arena to repair any injuries we might receive during practice. After four hours of fighting within the confines of our tent, we were moved to practice rooms in the newly-constructed arena building. The new construction left the rooms open to above. Cameras on the ship that hovered just above would record the fights. Without a time frame for our practice sessions, our level of effort was all out.
An hour after we entered the arena rooms, we were divided and given AIs to practice against. The training sessions were recorded. We were told the skill level of the AIs we would fight would be determined through evaluations of the recordings. If it was determined that our practice efforts were less than full, a fight with an AI of the highest skill level would be our reward.
Frig came over a comm as I swung my maul against an AI opponent. "Mr. Beutcher, they are removing the arm pads, and thereby our comms. They are coming for yours now. I ask that you press for sleeping arrangements in the tent. If I am successful, this ship may be coming down on that arena. I hope to be ready by—"
The comm shut down as an interference signal overloaded my receiver. A bot came into the practice room, removing the arm pad from my forearm and an earpiece from my right ear. The bot left the room as quickly as it had come in.
I asked the Anterra in front of me. "How long do we have to practice?"
Anterra replied, "Twenty four hours or three kills, whichever comes first."
I nodded as I swirled the maul over my head before dropping and spinning it forward. Fourteen kilograms of heavy steel smashed into the android's upper left thigh, lifting it from its feet. I reversed the spin of the maul using the recoil from the strike to gain momentum, before standing up straight and swinging down hard over my head. The heavy weight crushed the head of the AI, ending the practice match.
A second AI entered the room, spinning a maul in its right hand as it approached.
I said, "Eight seconds."
I leapt, dropped and rolled forward as I swung the maul up. The head of the weapon clipped the edge of the AI's maul as it tried to swing, driving the heavy steel into the android's shoulder. I followed with a second similar swing, coming up under the chin of the AI. Its head was torn from its torso, flipping up into the open air above us. I kicked the falling torso out of the way with a side kick as I batted the dropping android head into the far wall.
As the third android began to enter the room, I spun, releasing my maul toward the door. The android had no time to react, losing its head into the hallway. Its torso slumped to the ground.
I walked past, picking up my opponent's maul and my own. Two counter swings crushed the severed head as it sat on the floor.
A forth Anterra entered the hall with its hands raised. "You have completed your training, Mr. Beutcher. Congratulations on your success. If you would follow me. You will be allowed to watch your associates from a viewing room. Holo-displays of the eight practice rooms are available."
I nodded as I dropped the opponent's maul to the floor. The AI stopped in front of a room and gestured for me to proceed in. Its courteous behavior was met with fourteen kilograms of heavy steel to the back of the head. As several bots came to clean up the mess, I sat in a chair to watch the others. Joni was the first to catch my eye.
She was caught in a game of cautious attack with an equally cautious withdrawal. My first insight was regarding her wrists. They were too weak for the weight of the ball she was flinging. I reasoned that a three centimeter shift of her grip up the handle would give her better command. Also, her strikes on the AI were solid, but not in critical areas. I watched for fifteen minutes before a break in the session was given. The AI stood at the ready for the next session as Joni stumbled over to a bench, rubbing her upper arm that had taken a hard strike.
I changed my focus to Diane. She flawlessly countered every attack by her opponent. I watched her eyes and took note of a pattern developing in her defense. If I saw it, the AIs would see it too. Then, in a move that was almost too smooth, she deflected a downward blow and countered with a crossing swing. The AI's severed head rolled across the floor.
Jack was next on my viewing list. His technique was horrid, equally matched with a poor technique from the AI. A fifteen minute time limit ended his match. A heavily-breathing Jack made his way to a bench, plopping down, tired but unharmed.
I turned to the practice room where Garrett was going toe to toe with his AI trainer. Heavy blows were exchanged twice before Garrett fell victim to a broken collar bone. Two bots helped him to the med lab for a session of rapid healing. A tiny incision gave access to the bone. It was set, fused, and the incision glued shut. A topical agent would keep the pain of the injury from affecting his next session.
Go was adept at using his prosthetics. The AI he fought was heavily dented and struggled with a damaged right arm. With a move
I would not have anticipated, Go dropped to a split while bringing the full force of his mace to the knee joint of the AI. He rolled, stood and followed with a death blow to the head as the AI fell to one side. The match ended and he held his mace high in the air. A fifteen minute timer sounded.
I turned to the display of Kerba Skol. For a seemingly docile and friendly individual, he was both spry and deadly. As I watched, his match ended with a staff sticking through the neck of his AI opponent. The command system that controlled the android's torso had been severed. Kerba turned and walked from the room.
The colonel's fight was going at a much faster pace. Tom Harper was not one to sit still. He jumped, dove, ran up walls, and spun on the floor. Every move of the AI was registered and countered with a defensive effort. The AI's attack was relentless but ineffective. After a quick blow to the back of the AI's calves, the android dropped to its knees. The colonel sprang up, spiking down hard with the end of the staff, driving it through the top of the AI's head and deep into its torso. The colonel finished his match by spitting on the AI.
Kerba Skol walked into the room where I sat. "Mr. Beutcher, I see that you completed your matches as well. Excellent."
I replied, "I watched part of your last one. Impressive. I would not have pegged you for a fighter."
Kerba frowned. "Violence is not something we seek or desire. I never understood it before, but as a culture we were taught to fight from a young age. The emphasis is always on defense, but as any trained staffman knows, a good defense will offer rich opportunities for a strike. The wise fighter will take advantage of those. I suppose that quirk in our culture has found a use."
The colonel walked in behind Kerba. "What? Kerba? Beutcher I expected. I guess I spent too much time out there screwing around."
Kerba replied, "We are not in competition with each other, Colonel."
The colonel laughed. "No, but I do like to know the capabilities of those I'm fighting beside. I've evidently underestimated you, Mr. Skol. Well done."
OMEGA Destiny Page 16