by CJ Williams
“Send a message, Freddi. To Captain Elaine Cain, commanding the Bold Tigers on Lulubelle III. Message reads, “I am in pursuit of Annie. She was evacuated from the planet on a Grey ship, apparently headed into Grey territory, but I don’t know where. Once your situation is stabilized, fall back to Haiyanas Seven and await orders. I am declaring a state of war with the Greys. They are to be shot on sight and exterminated from Nobility space. Publish the word that I will abolish the titles of any Royal Family caught doing business with the Greys.”
“Acknowledged,” Freddi said. “I assume you want me to include all normal logs with this message.”
“Yes, make that a standard practice, if it’s not already. And copy everything I ever send to Princess Carrie. Her last known residence is Haiyanas Seven. Include a decree that I am appointing her as the governor of all Sixth Family territory and she will rule the First Family during my absence. Also send copies to Doctor Roth Higgins of Moonbase One in the Earth Solar System. Are you familiar with that?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I am a standard Level-Ten device. I maintain a complete record of all Alliance activity.”
That surprised Luke. “Level-Ten? Since when did we start making warships with Level-Ten capability? That’s reserved for planetary AIs and colony ships.”
“Since the advent of troop carriers like myself,” Freddi answered matter-of-factly. “We frequently carry thousands of personnel, all of whom have separate needs on both a personal and professional level. Also, we must provide support to ground commanders in the field for extended periods. Doctor Higgins, whom you just mentioned, was the approving authority for making troop carriers Level-Ten. His comment was that troop carriers are a cross between a warship and a colony expedition and that such a vessel needs a commensurate AI to fill both roles satisfactorily.”
Luke nodded to himself. “Okay, Roth is a smart guy. And right now, that may be particularly useful.”
“In what way, Your Majesty?”
“I’m not sure yet. And by the way, let’s dispense with the Your Majesty title. Let’s stick with Commander.”
“Very well, Commander. May I suggest you take some refreshment? After a military engagement, it is important for combatants to replenish their energy and give their bodies time to rest. The journey ahead is likely to be quite long and with an uncertain destination. You must be ready for whatever and whenever the situation might dictate. In that regard, Starbuck’s Mermaid Frappuccino was recently added to our menu. You may find that particularly refreshing.” The AI was excited to offer the new menu item.
With a deep sigh Luke said, “You were definitely designed on Moonbase One. Roth is a fanatic about Starbucks.”
“Is that so? Thank you for sharing that information. I was not aware of that aspect of Doctor Higgins’ personality. I have added it to his profile. Shall I prepare that Mermaid Frappuccino for you?”
“Not really Freddi. I’m more of a black coffee guy.”
“Coming up.”
Fatigue unexpectedly washed over him. The emotional highs and lows of once again almost finding and then losing Annie were taking a toll. He examined the tactical display carefully.
There was no doubt that he was headed into Grey space. The fact made him chuckle mirthlessly. I’m not much of a warlord now. He was just a man wanting to see his wife and fearing that might never happen. It was eating his insides like a cancer. He got up and headed for the Captain’s cabin. If nothing else, he needed to change into a clean ship’s uniform and perhaps lay down for a moment.
*.*.*.*
Luke jerked awake on his bunk, fearful that he had missed something important. “How long did I sleep?”
“Ninety minutes,” Freddi replied. “Status unchanged.”
Luke walked straight to the bridge and plopped into his chair. He stared grumpily out the main viewing window. “Now how much further,” he mumbled to himself.
“Unknown, Commander,” Freddi replied. “Target One made two course changes while you were sleeping, neither of them significant. We are maintaining a strong lock on its gravity wake. Its current course does not intersect any particular star system that I can detect. I conclude the journey will continue for quite some time.”
“That was a rhetorical question.”
“My apologies.”
Luke brooded as the hours passed. He needed to plan for the journey’s end. Once Freddi figured out where the Greys were headed, should he send back a message and wait for reinforcements?
Not a chance. That could mean a delay of months and there was no way he would leave Annie locked up with a bunch of cannibals for that long.
Once he caught up with her, he had to do something. The question was, what? One guy, no matter how strongly motivated could not take on an entire world and survive. He needed an army.
Well, this is a troop carrier. If nothing else, Freddi knew everything about supporting ground forces. For one thing, Luke had been impressed with the robotic mules his soldiers had used on the last planet. The army had recently started training with the mechanized pack animals on Haiyanas Seven. General Blackwell brought the concept from Earth. Maybe Freddi could modify the design by adding a weapon to its sturdy frame. Sort of like mounting a fifty-caliber machine gun on a Humvee.
Luke walked to the central column and dropped two levels to search for the army’s engineering section. The spacious lab was larger than Luke expected and contained several replicators of varying sizes. This was where army engineers repaired and/or replaced whatever was needed for troops on the ground.
“Freddi, give me one of those robotic mules, but add a machine gun to the top. I want something that will kill on sight.”
“I apologize Commander. Production of lethal robotic devices is prohibited.”
“Prohibited by who?” Luke asked.
“King Jona, an early sovereign monarch of the First Family.”
“I think that’s my title now.”
“That is true, Commander. If I may relate some background?”
“Go ahead,” Luke sighed. He hated long-winded computers but when dealing with Nobility AIs, it came with the territory. “
“Thank you, sire. As you know, the Nobility has been in existence for tens of thousands of years. The first king generously provided the necessities of life through the use of replication, allowing his people to concentrate their efforts on art, science and medicine.
“As their society grew, scientists made great advances in computer science. Over centuries they developed artificial intelligence. Some AIs became specialists in accounting, inventory, logistics, planning and so on. These later merged into massive AI machines that handled all aspects of public administration and governance. Eventually it led to the first planetary AI that provided an economic bedrock for the entire society. It managed things like planning and zoning, roads and bridges, law enforcement, education and much more. With the governmental minutiae of modern living taken care of, human population exploded across the Nobility’s portion of the galaxy.”
“I know all that,” Luke said testily. “What does that have to do with my order just now.”
“I am coming to that, Commander. Once removed from the paternal influence of the First Family, regional lords saw that too much bounty produced rivals to their own rule. After all, that was how they themselves came to power.
“New ruling families created military robots to subjugate potential adversaries on nearby worlds. The new kings ruthlessly protected their privilege and their progeny. Over time, centers of scholarship outside of First Family space disappeared, replaced by industrial services dedicated to violence and war.”
That was news to Luke. According to what Freddi just said, the Nobility had once started down a warlike path. “I thought the Nobility had always been peaceful. So, what happened then?”
“King Jona realized that his fellow royals were irretrievably bound by greed and avarice. He recognized the need for a safeguard that would protect his own family and all of
humanity as well. He ordered his computer scientists to implement a priority system into all AIs. That social pyramid began with his own family, the First Family.
“Over many centuries, that electronic hierarchy spread throughout the Nobility empire. What the other ruling families at the time did not realize, until it was too late, was that electronic loyalty was bound to the First Family before all others. To underscore this fact, King Jona decreed that lethal robotics and deadly AIs were henceforth an outlawed science.”
Luke thought about the brief history lesson. “All right, Freddi. I understand, but I’m the king now and the situation is different. I can establish new requirements for what is acceptable in AI programing. Isn’t that right?”
“That is true, Commander. However, that has not yet happened. The law today is that weaponized robots are forbidden.”
“Point taken,” Luke said. “Freddi. You will now accept a new royal decree. Lethal robots are now acceptable.”
“Acknowledged,” the AI responded dutifully.
“Good. In that case, replicate a robotic mule with a top mounted gun that will employ deadly force.”
Freddi was silent and Luke assumed the necessary programming adjustments were being made so that she could implement the new robot design. But after a moment, she said, “Commander, might I suggest that we first run a simulation of the weaponized mule.”
“I don’t see the point Freddi. It’s a pretty simple request. What’s the holdup?”
“Mr. Riley Stevens on Moonbase One established a standard design methodology to test all modifications in a battlefield simulator. This practice identifies areas for possible improvement or aspects of concern. I have such a simulator that ground commanders use for command and control exercises.”
Luke sighed. Generally, that was a reasonable approach, but at the moment it seemed a bit self-indulgent. Nevertheless, a lot of engineers had that academic bent. “All right,” he said. “Get it set up. I’m on the way.”
*.*.*.*
Luke walked into the gymnasium sized room and whistled in surprise. “This is one big simulator,” he said. It reminded him of the situation tank that Carrie had recently developed on Haiyanas Seven.
A few feet away was a hologram of himself standing next to his modified robot. It was a standard mechanized mule with an army issue fifty-caliber machine gun mounted on top. Not exactly what Luke intended, but it would do.
“That looks good,” he said.
“The simulation is ready, Commander. At your command, it will begin.”
“I’m ready,” Luke replied. “Go for it.”
“Commencing.”
The mule spun around to face the Luke hologram and emptied an entire chain at point blank range. Very realistically, the simulacrum of Luke’s body was blown away with blood and brains blasted across the floor.
“Simulation complete,” Freddi said quietly.
Luke’s emotions swirled all over the map. He was angry that Freddi had set him up like this, and a bit panicked from seeing his orders carried out so ruthlessly. With a little extra effort, he got his anger under control.
“Are you messing with me, Freddi? If so, that’s not a good idea.”
“Not at all, Commander. I merely carried out your orders as you gave them to me. It’s true, I did foresee this particular outcome was a possibility, but that’s why I suggested that we run a simulation first.”
“You couldn’t have pointed this out beforehand? Why make me go through a pointless exercise? It pisses me off!”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. No disrespect was intended. With regard to your question, the answer is no, I could not point it out ahead of time. Part of King Jona’s hierarchy for AIs is that independent advances in lethal robotics are prohibited by royal decree. In other words, I may only accept your programming. I am not allowed to develop or even suggest such products of my own initiative. The intent of that restriction is to prevent the inadvertent development of a doomsday machine. The Bakkui is an example of ignoring that doctrine.”
This is going to be more difficult than I anticipated. Luke walked out of the simulator deep in thought and more exhausted than ever.
*.*.*.*
Three hours later, after another nap, shower, and more clean clothes, Luke pushed a freshly replicated office chair into the simulation room. He then went back into the engineering lab and ordered a wheel mounted replicator, and positioned it next to his seat.
“Cup of coffee,” he said aloud. “Black with extra sugar.” When the machine dinged, he pulled the drink out of the replication chamber and mentally proclaimed himself ready for battle.
“All right, Freddi,” he began. “Here are some new rules. First, you need to tell me when you have an idea. I want to hear your suggested modifications. But, you may not implement those modifications without my express verbal approval. That should prevent, or at least slow down, the creation of any doomsday machines. You can begin with this rule now. Any problems with that approach?”
“No, Commander. That seems a reasonable starting point.”
“Good enough. Second, as we develop a lethal robot, include programming that under no circumstances will any lethal capabilities be used against humans. Further, they may only be used, as of now, against the Greys and/or Grey allies, as long as they are not human.”
“Acknowledged. Might I suggest, if we encounter non-human allies of the Greys, the prohibition of deadly force is extended to whoever that is, unless you specifically authorize such use. The Grey species was a surprise and we don’t know what other surprises may exist in the galaxy. The additional restriction may prevent future misunderstandings.”
Luke considered Freddi’s somewhat convoluted language. “Good idea. Include that as well.”
“Done.”
“All right then. With that in mind, give me a simulation of an armed robotic mule. But not with that old-fashioned machine gun. Integrate a piece of our modern weaponry that is effective against Greys.”
A holographic mule appeared. Mounted on its back was a small swivel turret with two thin slots on its rotating top.
“What is this?” Luke asked.
“This is similar to the hand weapons currently in use by royal soldiers. It fires five-millimeter flechettes with a fifteen-thousand-feet-per-second muzzle velocity.”
“Got it,” Luke said. “So you’re saying this is what our soldiers just used against the Greys back on N93-4? They have pretty thick hide, I know from personal experience. Were these flechettes effective?”
Freddi said, “I have two hours and fifty-seven minutes of video accumulated from our combat cameras during the recent engagements on planet N93-4.”
“Can you project those in here?” Luke asked.
“Of course. Program running.”
The hologram of the mule was replaced with 3D depictions of Grey soldiers being torn apart, most of them quite gruesomely, by royal flechettes.
After fifteen seconds Luke felt queasy and turned his head away. “That’s enough.” There was no way he could watch three hours of that carnage. “I accept the premise that flechettes are effective.”
“Understood,” Freddi replied.
“All right,” Luke said. “Let’s run a simulation. Set up a field of fire. I guess make it similar to what we found in system N93. Give me about eight of those armed mules and put my hologram in standard combat gear.”
The holographic scene shifted. His likeness appeared in the virtual town square last seen on the planet. The mules appeared around him.
“Simulation starting,” Freddi announced.
The Luke simulacrum set off at a run toward the distant headquarters building. It stopped repeatedly to wait for the mules to catch up, which were moving much slower. Artillery began impacting the terrain and the Luke holo pulled out a baton to guard against the incoming rounds. One of the rounds landed near a mule, knocking it sideways as it was firing. The disturbed trajectory of the twin guns swung across Luke’s position. His bo
dy was flung to the ground, unmoving and ripped almost completely apart.
The mules came to a halt and were immediately cut down by the Grey opposition.
“End simulation,” Freddi announced.
“Well,” Luke lamented. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“A good reason for combat simulations,” Freddi said.
“Do your simulations include random variables?”
“Yes, Commander. No two simulations would be alike.”
“Run it again,” Luke said. “Let’s see if that was a one-off occurrence.”
*.*.*.*
After eight more simulations Luke, who had found himself standing on the sidelines and shouting orders during the last three runs, sat heavily in his chair, completely disgusted. “Gimme a beer,” he said to the replicator.
He had watched his hologram get shot three times by friendly fire, twice by the Greys, trampled once by one of his mules, and blown up twice by Grey artillery. He had not once made it to the front door of the headquarters building.
He drained the beer in one long draught and considered ordering another. Probably not a good idea to do combat planning while drunk.
“Analysis?” Luke said.
“I believe the mules are a poor platform for infantry support,” Freddi said. “They don’t have the speed to keep up when you advance even at a modest pace.”
“What else you got?”
“Nothing at the moment,” Freddi replied. “The robotic mule is the only robotic device in the inventory. It is unintelligent and responds only to verbal or radio commands.”
“We talked about this,” Luke said. “You’re allowed to make suggestions.”
“How big an army are you thinking of creating?”
Luke considered the idea. “How many troops do you normally carry onboard.”
“Typically, I carry a complement of three thousand soldiers. Under extreme circumstances that can be increased to thirty-five-hundred.”