These meetings are always tiring. It is like an Elder's meeting, except it goes on all day instead of just a short time. I am glad you are walking me home. Thank you.
How did the day go? she repeated to him.
I received the answers I was looking for. You were right, my always. Admiral Johnson can be trusted, and my feelings about owing a debt were unfounded. Melon looked sad, from the way his antennae drooped.
But that is glorious news, my always! See, I told you, solutions follow you always.
I do not know if I am worthy of being Mat’Ma. I should have known I could trust Admiral Johnson. How can I lead our clan if my judgment is clouded with distrust?
Karleen moved closer to him and touched him affectionately. When things are unknown, caution is not the same as distrust. There is so much at stake. Who could say how much caution is needed? Only a fool would trust blindly when no information is present! I am sure Admiral Johnson forgives your suspicions and concerns.
He has said as much. Admiral Johnson said he would have understood, if the situation was reversed.
He is wise for a Two-leg! Learn from this, my always. That is how good Mat’Mas become great Mat’Mas.
They turned to walk down the rest of the hill. Melon’s antennae were not so droopy now. What would I do without you, my always?
I do not know, what would you do?
Melon’s steps were surer, and a lightness in his hearts lifted his spirits. Karleen was smart and keen for a female. She always knew just what to say. Like other times when he needed her, Melon had been thankful they continued to choose each other every mating season. He could not imagine being with any other.
FIFTEEN
Best-Laid Plans
Captain Metcalfe thought about last night with Alex as he walked to the department meeting. Not long after leaving Earth for the last time, they had decided to cohabitate. If he had not been the captain, they would have moved in together long ago. In fact, he had held out a long time because he was the captain and did not want to make things more difficult for Alex and her relationships with her superiors and coworkers. She had moved in with him since his apartment was bigger and had interfaces hers did not. A couple of years had passed since that ambitious step, and Levi was pleased the relationship had endured the moving-in stage with very little conflict.
As he came closer to the conference room, his thoughts turned to the meeting. Usually, since leaving Earth, these meetings were reduced to housekeeping topics. However, the topics today had a more serious flavor. The passengers were getting more restless, knowing the sleepers were nearly completed. They were at a point, Levi knew, where things could get a little puckery.
He entered the conference room, and everyone stood at attention. “Please, be seated,” he instructed.
The department heads and a few upper-tier officers took their seats around the large, beautiful oblong table which was made of real wood. He could have done this as a holo-conference on a secure channel, but it was always better in the flesh.
“As you all know, the sleepers are almost finished, and we must start putting people to bed," the captain continued. "A discussion at the start of our journey back to Searth proposed we could put people into the sleepers as we made them. However, it had been decided we could afford the resources for the new passengers to travel with us while all the sleepers were being made. It also took a while to find the space to install half a million sleepers and get them ready. It was hoped this decision would not come back to bite us.
“After discussing with Sonny off and on over the last couple of years, a phased plan has taken shape. We will start by taking volunteers to go first. Sonny estimates a quarter to a third will go voluntarily. We will then start a conscription campaign which will progressively turn up the heat for people to comply. Sonny estimates another quarter to a third of the original number will go, with some hesitation. This leaves a third to half electing not to go to the sleepers at all, which leaves anywhere from about two to three hundred thousand potential fighters. Sonny has had plenty of time to study every one of the recent members of our little colony and has identified people who could start trouble, if trouble were to start.
“Sonny and I have worked out various contingency plans that can be put into effect as required. Therefore, I have called the meeting today so we can go over the plans and get everyone on the same page. When the shit hits the fan, I want my crew ready to respond quickly and precisely. The more we bungle this operation, the more lives will be at stake, even the ship itself. Three hundred thousand men can be a real army. In a ship with just a couple of million people in it, it’s a huge army. We need to keep that perspective when we execute our plans.
“The biggest advantage we have is Sonny and Alice. They are our eyes and ears of the whole ship. By themselves, they could put down most of the rebellion. A smart person will see them as a first strike target, and we need to prepare for this. As of this moment, only low-level operations can be accessed by the newcomers. Sonny.”
“Yes, Captain Metcalfe.”
“I want you to run a full diagnostic scan and compare it to a scan before the Earth visit. I want to know of any anomalies.”
Sonny responded. “I anticipated your request, and a full scan has been in progress for two days now with no anomalies to report so far, Captain.”
“Thank you. How long before the diagnostic is complete?”
“Four days, seventeen hours and twelve minutes.”
“Okay, five days then. I want to make sure the start of the migration is not the signal to begin a cyber-attack on Alice and Sonny. Anything new in the system then will be suspicious and not likely to succeed. Barring any problems with the diagnostic, we will start this campaign in five days. ”
“They have had plenty of time to develop a cyber-weapon in two years,” Sonny said. “However, there is only a small chance someone could do it without my knowledge.”
The captain’s curiosity piqued. “Is there anyone in that group who has those skills?”
“There are two,” Sonny replied. “Both were lower-level coders involved in maintenance and expansion for me and Alice back on Earth. Charles Stiles was a busy fellow since the Atlantis left the first time. He mostly traveled from region to region selling his brand of technical services. The Alice minion left on Earth explained that what he actually did was set a scheme in motion which triggered a meltdown of all their systems at his command. He waited until he had visited most of the governments left on Earth and then activated his cyber devices. There was chaos for almost a year. Two Alice minions were lost. It took about a year before governments regained the upper hand on Stiles and his smaller army. Stiles was one of the first to present himself for the second departure of Atlantis. It is a near certainty he was being hunted down, and this was his only way out.
“The other man, Igoryok Kochetkova, has been Stiles's right-hand man. He was principally responsible for planting much of the cyberware on all those government machines. He is not as clever as Charles Stiles, but he is a good coder. If they put their heads together for a mutual goal, they could be dangerous. I have been monitoring both of them. However, if they have imported something from Earth similar to what brought those governments to their knees, we will need to be prepared. The real threat is they may make many pieces of code and will use another program to assemble and execute the weapon at a moment’s notice.”
Levi whistled. “Yes, that would be bad. Is there any way to detect this kind of activity, Sonny?”
“It would be difficult, but not impossible. It would be like reading a random sentence from a book you never read before and trying to identify it. If you come across the right sentence, it could have enough meaning to determine the book’s agenda. Also, we are talking about a finite number of humans. I will delve into their style of coding and monitor other codes. If I come across a pattern, I will let you know.”
Levi was pleased. “Very good, Sonny. And now we will discuss action plans for various outcomes.”
The fifth day arrived, and the implementation of the plan went into effect. Notices were sent out to all the newcomers that the time had arrived, and that they had three days to report to the assigned sleeper station to be tucked in. Alice and Sonny tracked, counted and monitored the whole process, checking people off one by one. It took fifteen days to process three hundred eighty-seven thousand two hundred and ninety-two people. This left one hundred eighty-three thousand, and sixty-five holdouts which needed more convincing, according to Sonny. Better than anticipated, but still a big number.
Levi was on the bridge when a call from his yeoman indicated Charles Stiles wished to speak with him at his convenience. Charles Stiles…yes, he was one of several men Sonny had indicated as coders to worry about. “Tell Mr. Stiles I wish to see him at 1700 hours in the conference room.” Levi wanted to wait a few hours, so he wouldn’t look anxious. Stiles was either here to parlay on behalf of the others, or to threaten Atlantis, with something to back it up.
Levi waited for Mr. Stiles to show. His thoughts were interrupted by Sonny.
“Captain Metcalfe?”
“Yes, Sonny.”
“When speaking with Mr. Stiles, you must stay at your seat during the length of the meeting.”
“Why? I need to be polite and I need to set a tone for the meeting.”
“It is for your protection. Has it occurred to you that you are a first-strike target also? I will have Mr. Stiles’s escort seat him at the other end of the table. You can be polite from there.”
“I can be replaced. You cannot.”
“No time to argue who is more important," Sonny chided. "He is outside the door now. Stay alert.”
At that moment, the escorts notified Levi they were here, using the ‘inner’ comm implants without the need for speech.
“Send him in please,” he said. Here we go! he thought.
The two security escorts led Stiles through the door and seated him at the other end of the table, as Sonny had suggested.
“Wait outside the door,” Levi quietly indicated to the two men.
Stiles looked like any ordinary person. No distinguishing villain features, nor did he look the part of a nerdy coder. Stiles would be fifty-four now and would be starting to show his age. He wore a jumpsuit different from the norm, a two-tone diagonal with gold on top and black on the bottom. The most notable thing about it was the red starburst on his left shoulder. Levi wondered about its significance.
“Thank you, Captain, for seeing me so quickly by my request. I expected to be waiting for an audience a lot longer.” His voice was strong and full of confidence, and he was smiling. Levi never much trusted leaders who smiled. It made him feel they thought they had the upper hand.
“No trouble. I found myself with a little free time this afternoon. What can I do for you, Mr. Stiles?”
“I didn’t know how much trouble it would be, but I thought you could just surrender the Atlantis to me.”
It was Levi’s turn to smile. “I like a man who gets right down to business, but I am not inclined to fulfill your request. I need to be motivated.”
Stiles leaned forward. “While it is unlikely you will live, I can guarantee the safety of your crew and sleepers as long as this is a smooth transition.”
“How is that supposed to motivate me?” To Sonny he mentally sent, “He mentioned the sleepers. See what is happening.”
“Already on it," Sonny reported. "I have detected small fluctuations in the main power cables. They may be about to sabotage the lines, which would kill over a million sleepers. I have rerouted more power to the sleepers. Alice is targeting potential threats. At your command, I suggest executing protocol Charley.”
Levi tried not to look triumphant. “I concur, and yet it is ironic at the same time.”
Stiles's face changed into something like pity. “It’s not meant to be. I was hoping I could appeal to your altruistic nature. But I see you are like many leaders I have dealt with over the years. They all feel like they’re in control while the big dog is in the yard. And they are all quite helpless without it. I have seen it. It is sad, really.”
“You misunderstand me. What makes you think anyone can walk up to me and ask for the keys to my ship, Mr. Stiles? I assume you have something more than words to back up your request,” the captain pressed, hoping for more time and more information.
“I do, Captain Metcalfe, I do. However, I must be leaving, since I have a lot of work to get done. We are on a schedule, you know.”
Slowly Stiles stood up, reached into a pocket not there before, and produced a small weapon. He quickly aimed and fired right at Levi. Levi’s last thought was OH, SHIT!
SIXTEEN
Insurrection
Levi blinked. He heard the crash of the laser weapon’s bolt hitting the shields Sonny had erected the moment Stiles stood up. The coder did something to his suit, and appeared to vanish. Sonny turned the fire suppression system on, and a light fog quickly filled the room. Simultaneously, Sonny instructed the security men to stay where they were and prevent anyone from leaving the room. Levi scanned the room but couldn’t make out any movement. Suddenly he heard two chirps. The next instant, sparks flew from across the room. Something fell to the floor with a thud. Four security men rushed inside to collect the unconscious Stiles. The whole thing took less than fifteen seconds.
Levi, released from his protective shielding, fumed. “How the hell did that happen?” He indicated the chaos.
“I suspected Stiles would try something, but I didn’t know what form it might take. I made some modifications to the room in advance of the meeting. He found some way to cloak his weapon from my sensors and tried to evade me by remaining still. The fire suppression wasn’t working so I used echolocation instead to determine his location, overloaded a panel he stood next to, and stunned him long enough for security to apprehend him.”
Sonny's literal mind irritated him. “I saw that part! Why did he do it in the first place?”
“Captain, I am detecting mass movement. Captain, I…will…be…busy…for…a…while.”
“Shit! They must have loaded the cyberware. Stiles was a diversion!” Levi shouted in his brain over the inner comm channel: “ALPHA, DELTA, DELTA, BREAK, OMEGA!” He repeated it twice more. Then he went to the terminal and contacted the bridge. “Bridge, if you read me, ALPHA, DELTA, DELTA, BREAK, OMEGA!”
“This is Commander Bales, Captain. We read you. Initiating protocols now. Security has already taken positions at all accesses to the bridge. Be advised, the enemy is moving in your direction. I say again, the enemy is moving in your direction.”
Levi didn’t stay to hear the warning the second time. He was already sprinting down the hallway toward the secondary location. The rebels expected him to make his way to the bridge, but plans had already been put in place to control the battle another way.
It was a desperate time. Levi had no weapon or protection. He had to make his way there unseen. If he was spotted by the rebels, he was a dead man. Keeping a low profile, Levi heard two simultaneous explosions. One was near and one sounded distant. He didn’t know what was happening. He had to get to the war room!
Levi had nearly arrived at his destination when he was confronted by three men dressed in Navy uniforms coming around a corner. Startled, he fell into a defensive stance, ready to fight.
“Captain Metcalfe?” one of the men asked.
“Alpha, Delta,” Levi countered, with a steely glare.
“Delta, break, omega.” The lieutenant finished the coded orders.
Levi visibly relaxed. “Good to see you boys!”
“We were looking for you but did not know when you would get here. Come with us. The war room is just over here. Stay close to us. Our bodies will protect you from sniper fire.”
Levi wore the same material used in almost all military jumpsuits. It responded to impacts in nanoseconds, hardening into something far better than the old Kevlar. The sentiment, however, was comforting. He followed the escort the rest of the way to the war room.
The war room was in an underground alcove by a bank of sleepers. There, some officers were directing security forces using the manual video feeds and sensors. Levi remembered all the battle plans, the minute details of the ship, the rebel’s forces and numbers. He knew what to do. Previously they had quietly installed laser fences at choke points leading to the bridge. Between the fence and a large security force there, he had figured the bridge would be safe. Unfortunately, the rebels had somehow managed to blow the two main columns which served as a superhighway for Alice and Sonny--this must have been the explosions he'd heard. Cutting those lines limited traffic between the two machines. Sonny and Alice had to use indirect routes that took longer. But the machines had foreseen this and were ready for it. The well-planned cyber-attack and the destruction of the A.I. superhighway told Levi that the rebels had to have help from some of the Atlantis crew. By themselves, the rebels would have attracted too much attention from Alice or Sonny. It had to be an inside job, Levi thought. Someone will pay dearly for that.
Everywhere on the ship a good deal of maintenance, service and construction robots were doing their assigned work. Commander Bales executed the emergency protocol and activated the robot contingency, sending the coded wireless signal over repeaters throughout the ship to the robots. The robots dropped whatever they were doing and picked up anything which could be used as a weapon. The new robot recruits had images in their brains of every one of the refugees put there by Sonny a few weeks ago, just in case the humans needed help. Now they sought out the nearest rebels and attacked them. Many rebels caught off guard were killed straight away. When the insurgents caught on to what was happening, they realized how many responders were on the Atlantis. Approximately six hours later, Sonny and Alice jumped back into the fray, and the remaining rebels were easily mopped up. Sonny had control over the many security laser guns dotted around the ship. Facing massive opposition and laser turrets all over the ship, the insurgents were surrendering en masse, and the coup was put down. Humans and robots were rounding up the rebels and taking them to detention centers. When the jails were all full, security was locking them up in the waiting rooms for sleeper processing.
The Journey of Atlantis: The Children of Earth Page 17