The colonel looked at the holo-displays of the others. How are we looking?"
I said, "Joni has been holding her own. I have a couple suggestions for her that should improve her abilities."
The colonel asked, "Should we tell her? If the AIs think she's sandbagging, they'll come down hard in the real match."
I replied, "She's not sandbagging, so I think they will judge her efforts as genuine."
I glanced down at my missing arm pad before turning to whisper to the colonel. "I received a comm from Frig just before they took my arm unit. He said if at all possible, we should try to sleep in the tent tonight. He may be planning to bring down that ship."
The colonel nodded. "That would be a good start to a fight back, although the thousand androids that are probably on that ship wouldn't be too happy about it."
As we watched, Garrett took a hard blow to his other shoulder, again having a broken collarbone end his match. Two bots carried him to the med lab.
I shook my head. "He desperately needs a counter to that move. That's the second time in ten minutes that he's been taken down."
The colonel winced. "He should be limiting that blow with his forearm, sweeping it up to push that mace aside. A basic move that I would have expected him to know. That's a painful price to pay if he's forgotten. It's a debilitating injury and it will cost him his life in the real match."
We continued to watch for another five hours before the AIs offered a long resting period. I demanded that we be allowed to break in our tent, where further strategies could be discussed. With a gleam of delight in its eye, the Anterra unit sent to give us the break news eagerly accepted. After the others entered the display room, we collected Garrett from the med lab and made our way to the tent.
An orange sun was just beginning to set on the horizon. As we entered, bots with cots showed up behind us. As they left, we selected our beds for the break and sat. Our continued practice would resume in nine hours.
Chapter 17
* * *
I was the first to speak. "Kerba, the colonel and I each finished off our opponents. We'll be watching the rest of you from that display room in the morning. We've noticed a few things that could be improved upon."
The colonel said, "Garrett, you need to make use of your forearm. A simple sweeping move going across your body will stop that mace from breaking your collarbone."
Garrett shook his head. "You don't think I know that? That was purposeful. I plan on spiking that thing between the eyes with a counter-swing the first time it tries to use that lame move."
Joni said, "They broke your collarbone twice. That had to hurt something fierce."
Garrett replied, "And I'll let them do it again if it convinces them to use that move. Anyone else have a strategy they are planning to use?"
Everyone was quiet.
I turned to Jack, "How are you holding up?"
Jack chuckled. "I'm old, I'm tired, I'm out of shape. So long as they send in an android with those traits, I should be able to hold my own. I can't imagine where I would have been had I not spent months in that BGS."
The colonel asked Diane, "Miss York? How are your sessions coming?"
Diane nodded. "Good, I think. I have one kill and one near kill. I'm trying to be cautious. Not much desire to get hit, even if it offers an opportunity to end it."
The colonel laughed. "You are definitely wound different than your namesake. She would just charge in with guns blazing. Frankly, it was sometimes terrifying for me to watch. Like you, though, she knew what she was doing. She would be proud to know you are a descendant."
Diane smiled. "Thank you, Colonel. That means a lot to me. My family has kept a picture of her somewhere in our house through the generations. Has always been a point of pride."
The colonel patted her on the shoulder. "As it should be."
The colonel turned to face Go. "From what I saw, you were doing well also."
Go held up his scuffed-up forearms. "I know these prosthetics are tough, but I don't know how much more of a real mace they can take."
The colonel looked over the scrapes. "You're doing the right thing. These all look to be glancing blows. If there were creases I might be worried. Just keep doing what you're doing."
Our discussions ran for another hour before everyone began to doze off.
I lay back on my bunk, placing my hands behind my head with my elbows out. "Colonel, how is it possible that we ended up here today? We're fighting for our lives with hand weapons, in a fight that is completely controlled by some maniacal AIs. It's like they have taken the worst characteristics of the species from the Yallux and used those to mold their thought patterns. Something just doesn't seem right."
The colonel replied, "The androids lack empathy and compassion. The same thing was missing from the Duke two thousand years ago. Quan still doesn't have it, but his inhibitors prevent him from doing what these AIs are doing. You would think as AIs they would be capable of learning those two important traits, but they lack all but the basic emotions. It's apparently something that can't be learned. Even their anger responses seem canned."
I rolled onto my side. "That, or they quantified that learning to have emotions was not worthwhile. Whatever the reason, it makes them unfit to share space with us."
The colonel didn't respond. I nodded off soon after.
We were awakened in the middle of the night by an explosion. I jumped up and rushed to the tent door in time to see a fireball emerging from the AI ship.
I yelled back, "Colonel! I think Frig has begun whatever attack he had planned."
The colonel stopped beside me. "Hope he knows what he's doing up there. He's not in shape to be fighting those androids hand-to-hand, or even with a blaster."
Several more fireballs emerged from the sides of the hovering ship before a huge explosion knocked us off our feet, taking down a quarter of the tent. I pushed myself up in time to see the AI ship slowly dropping toward the ground. Seconds later it crashed into the newly-constructed arena complex. Another rocking explosion jettisoned a quarter of the ship on the far side. A set of ramp-ways lowered. Androids began to spill out. Green laser pulses filled the air around them.
The colonel said, "They are fighting each other! Quan must have taken control of some of the AIs again!"
I walked back to my bunk, taking up my maul.
The colonel grabbed me on the shoulder. "Hold on there, honcho. They have laser pistols. We can't get involved unless the odds are evened a bit."
I said, "Frig is on that ship. He may need our help. Standing here we accomplish nothing."
The colonel sighed. "Give me a second."
The colonel walked to the tent door and gazed out at the developing uprising. "OK, here's what we do—we head around this way and come in from the edge of the ship. Some of those arena rooms are still intact. We can use them as cover."
The colonel looked back. "Everyone get your weapons. We're joining this fight. And please, if you can get your hands on a laser pistol, do so."
Following the colonel, we sprinted across the field to the far edge of the downed ship. Working our way along the hull, we came to a portion of the arena complex that still stood intact. Weaving through the rooms, we came to a stop fifteen meters from the edge of the fight.
Garrett asked, "Which side is which?"
The colonel shook his head. "Not sure."
I said, "Maybe we wait. If one shoots at us, we'll know."
The colonel nodded. "We need to get on that ship."
Go stepped up. "I volunteer to draw fire. If they shoot at me, we know to shoot at them. I'll go back and come around from the outside."
The colonel agreed. "Jack, go with him. And remember, your purpose is to draw attention, not to get hit."
Garrett said, "We just passed through the med bay. I'll check to see if it's still operational. If anybody takes a hit, maybe we can make use of it."
Go moved around the outside of the arena. As the colonel watched fro
m an angle, Go ran into the open and back. Two of the fighting androids took notice, but neither one fired on his location. A second lunge changed that fact. Laser pulses impacted the wall just in front of him.
The colonel said, "I've got the one on the right if you take the left. And, Beutcher, we've got fifteen meters to cover, don't be too cautious. This is all or nothing to make that corner."
I put my maul in a spin. The colonel charged out first. I followed. At ten meters my target turned with its laser pistol raised. It was met square in the chest by the maul I had just released. The android slumped to the ground as it attempted to compensate for the damage it had received. The colonel managed to ram his staff through the neck of the other android, twisting and snapping off its head. I retrieved my maul, spun, and forever silenced the AI android crouched before me. Our new locations allowed the others to move up.
As the colonel peered around the ship plating beside him, the laser fire in front of us went silent.
The colonel yelled, "Go! Take the opportunity!"
As we raced past the androids on the ramp, Garrett pushed one to the side before bashing its head. "Got to love a confused AI!"
We moved down two halls past half a dozen androids that stood still. As we reached a stairwell, the androids came back to life. Laser pulses filled the hall behind us.
The colonel pointed up. "To the top. We work our way down from there."
We moved up the stairwell without incident. The colonel quickly gazed into the main hallway, pulling his head back as a laser pulse came from the other end. Five Anterra units near our end fought with another four farther down the hall. Our presence behind them did not draw fire.
The colonel turned to face us. "There's a dead droid just outside this doorway. I want the laser pistol from its hand. Go, I need you to dive out there and grab it. We'll pull you back by your feet. When you hit that floor stay down behind that droid."
Go nodded. We set ourselves up for a pull and the order was given. Five seconds later the laser pistol was in the colonel's hand.
Colonel Tom Harper slapped me on the shoulder. "Watch my back, Beutcher. I'm going for that first doorway just past those AIs. I can force them around that corner from there."
I said, "We've got you, Colonel."
The one hundred forty kilogram, ancient mountain of a Marine bolted into the hallway. A dive and a roll had him behind the friendly AIs. A sprint and a second dive had him inside the room of his choice. Green pulses flew, taking out two of the androids at the end of the hall. The other two moved back around the corner.
The colonel yelled at the four androids still in the hallway behind him: "Don't just sit there! Go get them! Four on two, calculate the odds!"
The friendlies rose and sprinted to the end of hall. As the first rounded the corner, its torso was pierced by a laser pulse. Return fire brought an end to its enemy.
The colonel waved us forward. "Three laser pistols. Pick 'em up!"
With the three remaining friendly droids, and the colonel's commands, we moved to the forward rooms of the top deck. A short firefight saw the bridge of the AI ship cleared.
Jack looked for a display of the ship's layout. "Hang on. I'll see if I can find Frig—what kind of bridge is this? Where are the consoles?"
An android answered. "What would you like to view, Mr. Carson?"
Jack replied, "Uh, deck layout? And the location of any bios."
The android complied. A holo-display of the decks and all bios aboard rose up in front of Jack.
Joni pointed. "Here. Deck nine."
The colonel gestured toward the door. "Let's go get him."
Our way back down to deck nine was anything but open. We had each acquired laser pistols, and our accuracy was brilliant. That split second of reactive hesitation by the enemy androids kept us just out of the line of fire on numerous occasions. Jack wondered out loud about how we had become so lucky. I wondered equally as much about how we were still alive.
When we reached deck nine, the enemy AIs occupied our end of the main hall. We ambushed them from behind. The crossfire from both front and back put a quick end to their attempted assault on Frig's lab.
I opened the door to a foot in the chest from Quan. I hit the opposite wall of the hallway, leaving a large dent before sliding down with the breath knocked out of me.
Quan said, "Announce yourself next time and I won't be forced to take you down."
Go helped me to my feet.
Frig worked feverishly at a holo-display. "The AIs are slowly gaining the upper hand. Quan was able to override the programming that kept them from converting to our side. At one point, we had half of the active AIs. Now we are down to 40 percent."
The colonel said, "Tell us where we can be of use."
Frig pointed at the hallway. You must keep them from this room. We need time to counter whatever programming they are using to countermand Quan's code changes. As a collective, they appear to be quite powerful on the computational front. I would not have expected them to rival Quan. I was wrong."
I stepped forward, rubbing my chest. "Why did he kick me?"
Quan grinned. "My apologies, Mr. Beutcher. My inhibitor circuits have been switched off. This is the first time since I was captured that I have been truly free. I made a deal with Frig to take out the AI threat. I will honor that deal."
The colonel returned a concerned look. "Are you saying he's the equivalent of the Duke now?"
Frig nodded. "He is. However, he doesn't command those androids. As I said, we are being thwarted by the AI collective."
The colonel asked, "What about those other ships and the AIs aboard them?"
Quan answered, "Just under half are under my command. The ships in orbit are fighting one another. If they succeed in beating our ships, we will fall."
Jack looked over the display in front of Frig. "What about the Destiny? Is it still offline?"
Quan replied, "The AIs remain in control of that ship's generators. Only one remains functional. Given the current state of the Destiny's active skin, I felt it wasn't worth my processing time to bring it back online."
Jack said, "Couldn't we sweep ourselves out of here?"
Frig replied, "A single generator wouldn't have the power."
Jack added, "And the moment we attempted to bring it up, the AI ships above would destroy her."
"OK," said the colonel, "we keep this stairwell and the hallway corner beside it buttoned up—along with this corner down here. Garrett, Joni, Jack and I will cover the stairs. Beutcher, take Go and Diane to the far corner. Kerba stays here. We hold this position while these three figure things out."
We reached our end of the hallway. The way around the corner was clear.
Go said, "I bet there's a stairwell down around there. If we shut it up, maybe we can clear the rest of this deck."
I shook my head. "Can't risk it. The colonel said to keep this corner. It's a strong position. We stay here."
An Android approached us from behind. I took aim as it raised its hand with three blank arm pads.
We each took one, quickly powering them on. "Frig? You there?"
"I am. The colonel and the others should be online in a moment."
I said, "You have anything you need us to do, just say it."
Quan replied, "You have six Anterra androids coming your way."
Seconds later the hallway was filled with laser fire.
The colonel came over the comm. "We’re getting hit on our end. If you need help, you'll have to wait!"
I replied, "We have them penned, Colonel. I could spare Go or Diane if needed."
The comm was silent for several seconds. "Hang on to them for now. I'll let you know if we need 'em."
Quan said, "The ship battle above has returned to even status, eighteen ships a side. Here on the ground we've climbed to 43 percent. I've adapted our tactics to what we've come up against. I don't expect that change to last."
Over the next twenty minutes, the ground battle bega
n to turn in our favor. Our advantage ended with the collapse of deck fourteen.
Frig said, "We may want to make a break for the Destiny. I believe I can power the portal gate to a level that will allow us to contact another gate. If so, we can use the power of the other gate to open a full portal to here."
I replied, "If we leave this battle unfinished we lose an opportunity. The AIs control the space surrounding those gates and colonies. We go back and we get captured."
I thought for a moment. "Would it be possible to open a gate from any colony?"
Frig nodded. "Yes. What do you have in mind?"
I said, "We open the gate to Dallex and bring through my Talisan army. If we secure this world, we can mount our rebellion from here. We will need ships. How many ships you say we have up above?"
Frig replied, "Both sides are down to five battlecruisers. I expect the fighting to be over in the next few minutes. All ships have damage."
Quan said, "We just lost two more. The AIs are down to four. As the ships are lost, I am returning processing power to our androids here."
I fired several laser pulses down the hall. "The androids seem to be content with holding us here."
Quan replied, "On the ground they outnumber us one hundred four to seventy-three."
Go said, "See that second door? If we can get someone in there, we can push them back to the stairwell."
I gestured toward the hallway wall behind us. "See if you can get through into this room beside us. If so, burn a door into the next one and you'll have your advantage."
Diane leaned out and fired a shot. "Ha! Took off its left arm!"
Quan said, "We've lost another ship. The AIs are down to one."
I replied, "As soon as that fight is over, bring a ship down. We can—"
Quan sighed, "We have lost. A bold maneuver has ended our campaign in space. However, the AI ship appears to be too damaged to enter the atmosphere. I cannot get a proper reading on the repairs needed, but they have already begun."
I asked, "What does that mean for us?"
Quan replied, "It means a thousand android fighters will be joining their ranks. I have been unable to infiltrate their systems."
OMEGA Destiny Page 17