Omega Force 09: Revolution

by Joshua Dalzelle

  "Go, now," Jason said. "You and Twingo take the vehicle and get him back to the Phoenix."

  "I'll drive," Twingo said as Jason and Crusher carefully loaded the limp Veran into the back.

  "What did he say to you?" Crusher asked as the vehicle rolled back across the property towards the road.

  "Something about a computer," Jason said. "It didn't really make any sense."

  "Captain, the first of them is waking up." Tauless approached slowly. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin from fright when Jason leapt up out of the subterranean chamber without touching the stairs.

  "Let's get to it then," Jason said, still watching the vehicle pick its way among all the obstacles. "We still have a job to do here."

  "ALL THIRTY-six are showing good indicators that they've safely come out of deep hibernation," Tauless said as he huddled over the control panel. He'd begun taking greater care with his terminology around Lucky, preferring “hibernation” to “storage” after the battlesynth took some offense.

  "When can we wake them up?" Jason asked. "We've been here too long already and we're making a lot of noise. I can't believe that they'd just leave this place alone after leveling all the buildings … we're one satellite image away from a squad of troops hitting this spot."

  "We are a few minutes from removing the stasis inhibitors," Lucky said. "After that it will vary from individual to individual, but they should all be fully functional within twenty minutes."

  "Good, good," Jason said distractedly. His thoughts were still with his flighty little friend that appeared to have suffered some sort of attack. Did another slicer catch him in the system and push back? Kage was always extremely careful not to leave himself exposed, so was someone that good they could circumvent his defenses?

  From the screams of pain and the apparent severity of the attack Jason had little doubt that the Veran wasn't meant to survive it. That by itself was highly unusual. Slicers were an odd group, but they very rarely attacked each other to inflict harm. To them it was all more of a game than a fight, and when they squared off with each other, using someone's network as a battleground, there were always limits to what they would do.

  The last thing Kage said to him kept bouncing around in his brain like a pinball; every time it would hit he felt like he could just grab onto an idea and then it was gone. He was honest enough with himself to know that he wasn't as intellectually gifted as Lucky, Kage, or Doc, but they were all far too occupied to try and talk him through a chain of thoughts that may not lead anywhere.

  "All these readings are good, Lucky," Tauless was saying. "Baseline clocks are all within norms and higher functions are beginning to reactivate. It's truly amazing how long the processing matrixes remain stable even under adverse conditions."

  Something about that statement made something click in Jason's mind. "How long has the central banking AI been in operation?" he asked.

  "I'm not sure," Tauless said. "Why?"

  "Just curious."

  "It would have to be close to two thousand years now," Tauless said, looking to the ceiling as he thought about it. "It was brought online during the Second Restructuring when the ConFed was trying to consolidate its power and lay the groundwork for expansion. The history is a bit vague since it's mostly ConFed propaganda, but I know the AI was essential in allowing the ConFed to control the currencies and flow of taxes."

  "Where are you going with this, Captain?" Crusher asked. Jason decided to toss the idea he'd had rolling around out there so everyone could look at it and pick it apart.

  "What if we've been chasing the wrong people here?" he began. "Kage said he's been unable to dig down into the layers of bureaucracy here on Khepri to find out where things began, why the battlesynth recall was activated. What if the AI has been the one manipulating events?"

  In the ensuing silence Jason wasn't sure if his idea was so absurd they were trying to formulate a response that would spare his feelings or if he might be on to something.

  "The banking AI isn't generally considered sentient, but it has been operating continuously for so long and it is based on the early adaptive processor matrixes that allowed synths to evolve beyond their original operational software," Tauless said slowly. "What you're suggesting would normally be dismissed out of hand, but the more I think about it the more I can't unequivocally refute what you're suggesting. But what would be the point of the AI setting these events in motion?"

  "What does a two-thousand-year-old sentient computer that has access to every transaction across the quadrant think about?" Jason asked with a shrug, warming up to his idea. "It's possible it may have become corrupted or it could have decided that Khepri would be better off without ConFed interference."

  "Since it knows every credit transaction happening in ConFed space this explains how we were being tracked," Crusher said. "We were popping up in some random places without reporting to anyone and every time we'd have someone seemingly waiting on us."

  "Then why recall the battlesynths?" Lucky asked.

  "For its own protection," Jason said. "We know the facility is hardened against all but the most powerful orbital bombardment, so to get at it you'd have to approach on the ground. It recalls a force of a couple hundred battlesynths under the guise of repelling an outside attack, and by the time anybody realizes what's really happening it'll be too late."

  "There's one way to know if you're correct," Tauless said. "There is an onsite defense force that would have to be eliminated. If we see the battlesynths begin clearing out the facility we'll know that whatever it intends to do will happen soon. What led you down this line of thought, Captain?"

  "The attack on Kage was something that's never happened, and when we were able to disconnect him he was saying that something wasn't a computer anymore," Jason said. "It's plausible he was referring to this master banking AI—what's it called, anyway?"

  "Nuuzo is what it's officially called," Tauless said. "It's an ancient High Pru'gal word that means to create order from chaos. Most people today just call it the Central Banking AI if they even talk about it at all. It's one of those things that's existed for so long that it's like air; it just is and we don't question why or how."

  "Assuming the captain's premise is correct, this creates a new problem," Lucky said. "Even if every member of Lot 700 decides to help us we will not have the necessary force to overwhelm the other battlesynths that we assume will be defending the AI."

  "That thought occurred to me," Jason admitted. "I'm still working on it."

  "777, why have we been awakened?" a voice said from back in the chamber. They all spun and saw a battlesynth walking towards them. Jason and Crusher tensed up, waiting to see if the new arrival would be hostile or not.

  "Events are happening on Khepri that may require our intervention, 707," Lucky said. "The recall beacon has been activated and our brethren may be in danger of being used for nefarious purposes."

  "You have proof of this?" 707 asked.

  "A reasonable amount of circumstantial evidence, yes," Lucky said. "Will you accept a direct link? It would be far more efficient."

  "I trust you," 707 said and held out its hand. Lucky placed his own hand on top, palm to palm, and stood stock still for the span of a few seconds.

  "Fascinating. The Master still lives … should not our first priority be to him?"

  "We can do nothing further and would only endanger him should we approach," Lucky said.

  "Captain Jason Burke, I find your theory of the central banking AI's possible motivations intriguing, but not conclusive," 707 said. "How do you propose to gather the proof you need?"

  "Approaching the AI directly is out," Jason said. "Your brothers have numerical superiority and are near a fortified position. We pose no direct risk to them. That means, unfortunately, that we have to wait for certain events to transpire before we can determine if I was right or not."

  "Unacceptable," 707 said. "The risk to the population should these events transpire would be exponentially hig
her than if we act preemptively. Do you think the other units would listen to us? Are the normals also affected by this recall beacon?"

  "In light of the attack by two battlesynths on Zeta Vandor-6 I would not risk approaching them while their reasoning is being clouded by the beacon," Lucky said. "I have no evidence that the other synths are affected one way or another, but they have not been returning to Khepri in great numbers."

  "Let us focus on assisting the others and then we will discuss this further," 707 said and walked back to where two other battlesynths were beginning to move about within their pods.

  "Presumptuous sort, isn't he?" Crusher grumbled.

  "He is our unit commander," Lucky said.

  "He's not my commander," Crusher said. "I hope he realizes we're not looking for another leader." Lucky said nothing, but Jason, long accustomed to the battlesynth's subtle body language, could tell he was uncomfortable.

  26

  "He's stable, but unresponsive," Doc said. "Once back aboard I was able to disconnect the main links from his neural implant. He'll be disoriented when he awakens but there won't be any further risk of another attack."

  "So you think he will wake up?" Jason asked, his voice distorted over the voice-only com channel.

  "I don't see any reason why he won't," Doc said. "His brain scans all came back as normal, but there was some damage to the preprocessor channels of his implant. It would have caused the extreme pain reaction we saw due to how the information is processed by his brain, but there was no actual injury."

  "Could there have been if we hadn't disconnected him?"

  "Possibly," Doc said. "But more likely it would have burned out the front end of the neural implant and the pain would have gone away … but so would his ability to access external networks."

  "Keep me posted," Jason said. "I could really use his help right now. We've got all Lucky's lot-mates out of stasis and moving about and we think we found a way to backtrack who ordered the recall. We're hoping that might help us prove or disprove my theory."

  "You'll want to hurry, Captain," Twingo said. "It's not being widely reported but two squadrons from the Saabror Protectorate have arrived and are sitting near the outer system. The ConFed ships have begun to redeploy to face them and we're hearing rumors from spacers sitting in orbit that there are Eshquarian warships heading this way."

  "That's not good news," Jason said. "Get me three ground vehicles out here; two need to be commercial versions with a large enough cargo area for thirty-six battlesynths. The sooner we get the hell away from this area the better."

  "I'll do that now," Twingo said and walked out of the infirmary.

  "Wouldn't it be easier for me to fly out and pick you up?" Doc asked.

  "We're still hoping that we've not yet been detected," Jason said. "But keep her ready to fly in case this all goes to hell. You're going to have your hands full without Kage there as copilot, so make sure Twingo is ready to fill in as best he can."

  "Understood," Doc said. "Phoenix out."

  "WE'RE HOLDING position outside the orbit of the fifth planet, sir."

  "Very good," Captain Jonathan Swank said. "Maintain general quarters and inform me the instant we get confirmation the ships specified by Command show up."

  "Aye aye, sir."

  Swank was trying to maintain a cool, calm demeanor for his crew, but his insides were churning and he couldn't seem to keep any saliva in his mouth. Command had sent orders to the Endurance ordering them to the Khepri System and to await contact from someone named Saditava Mok. The orders had come directly from Terranovus and not through normal channels back on Earth, but they were still valid orders. What was causing all the discomfort was that they were a long way from home, alone, and his sensor operators were picking up dozens of powerful warships all facing off with each other in the system.

  So far the ship had only flown in the shadow of a Cridal Fend-class destroyer. The reputation and power of the Cooperative had been a comforting presence as Earth's longest-ranging ship poked around and sent reports back while the newly minted military branches scrambled to build ships and fill the ranks with qualified people. Now he felt exposed and vulnerable while he waited on this mystery contact.

  Their orders stated that they were there as a contingency only and no matter what happened they were not to engage in combat operations. In fact, if the system erupted into violence or if anyone made a perceived aggressive move towards the Endurance he was to turn tail and mesh-out of the Khepri System without hesitation. It settled his frayed nerves only slightly that at least whoever was giving them orders was putting the safety of the ship and crew above all other considerations.

  Watching the crowded space above Khepri Prime and the formations of ConFed and Saabror ships circling each other was fascinating. He thought back to Jason Burke and the stories he'd heard about the man. Swank had never met him, but the fact he'd been out here for so many years alone and had not only survived, but thrived, demanded a level of respect. There were also rumors floating around about someone the intel folks were calling the Viper that had supposedly been out here even longer than Burke, but he'd never been able to get anything other than a nickname.

  "Officer of the Watch, please have the XO report to the bridge," Swank said. He'd been on watch for the last twenty-two hours and it was catching up with him. His ready room was right off the main bridge, so he'd be able to catch a few hours of sleep and still be ready to answer the call when this Saditava Mok showed up.

  "XO is on his way up, sir."

  Swank nodded his thanks to the ensign and went back to brooding over the massive display that was showing real-time sensor data. More ships were popping into the system and not too many were leaving. If someone started shooting it would get real interesting, real fast.

  "IF WE ACCESS the hardline here then 722 will be able to trace all the recall and movement orders back to the source," 707 said. They were all looking at a holographic map of the capital that Tauless had projected from his tablet.

  "How long would that take?" Jason asked.

  "My network intrusion software has not been updated since we were put into stasis," 722 admitted. "I can make no guarantee that I will be quick."

  Jason felt positively diminutive as thirty-seven battlesynths and one Galvetic warrior crowded in around him to see the display. He had also completely given up on keeping track of who was who. They all had their own unique voices and personalities, but they looked so similar he couldn't tell them apart at a glance. Only Lucky had a distinctive look with his darker-colored armor plates.

  "And my code slicer is out of commission," Jason said. "Let's do it. We need to be leaving this place within the next ten minutes no matter what, and we have no other promising leads."

  They quickly gathered the equipment they'd used and stashed it down in the chamber the stasis pods had been in. Jason and Crusher broke out their own weaponry and tactical harnesses, the former lamenting the fact he'd left his damn armor on the Phoenix, while Tauless worked the controls to close the chamber back up and retract the vent pipes.

  The trucks Twingo had ordered were sitting along the road. They were fully automated and had been purchased using one of Omega Force's clean accounts, but if Jason's suspicions were correct he doubted the transaction had escaped notice. He'd ordered the vehicles to be lined up along the road so as not to leave any more tire tracks than necessary if someone came snooping about once they were gone. His concerns ended up being unfounded; Twingo had secured all repulsor drives and they sat hovering silently, barely disturbing the grass.

  The members of Lot 700, including Combat Unit 777, divided themselves among the big cargo haulers while the biological team members got into the smaller, boxy vehicle. Jason would rather have had Lucky with him but rolling into the capital with a battlesynth sitting where anyone could see him might draw the wrong type of attention.

  "We're all loaded up," Crusher said, climbing into the left front seat of the van.

  "The
address is entered," Tauless said. "Press execute on the display and all three vehicles will make their way there following different routes."

  "Here we go." Jason let out a heavy breath and pressed the flashing icon. The vehicle pulled away smoothly, its drive making the faintest whisper as it pulled back onto the main roadway.

  The ride was thankfully uneventful and short as the high-speed access tubes allowed them to bypass the heavier traffic of the outlying areas. Once they were in the heart of the capital they popped back up onto a surface roadway and continued on towards their objective: a nondescript, blocky building designated only with a number and a warning that it was property of the Kheprian government.

  Jason commanded the vehicle into a lot two blocks down and waited until the larger cargo trucks caught up. Tauless slipped out and, as the only pru member of their party, walked around the entire area to see if anything looked suspicious before an entire group of battlesynths pulled up and exposed themselves to view. Jason didn't like letting him roam around since he wasn't very well-disguised and not properly trained as a forward observer, but their options were limited.

  "There he is," Crusher said quietly as Tauless walked around a corner and came back to the vehicle.

  "I didn't see anything unusual," he said once he'd climbed back in. "Not a lot of pedestrian traffic and the streets are empty, so the larger vehicles shouldn't have any issues."

  "I want you to stay here," Jason told him. "Once we breach the perimeter we're going to be on the clock. If it looks like we're about to get pinned down in there just take this ground car back to the starport and get yourself aboard the Phoenix, preferably without being seen."

  "Show time." Crusher nudged him as the first of the cargo trucks slid past the lot. He and Jason climbed out and grabbed the sling-packs their larger weaponry was in.

  The trucks were sitting on the side of the road by the time they made it from the lot so, after one last look around, Jason popped the catches to open the rear doors and signaled for all of Lot 700 to exit. They piled out efficiently and quietly, the last ones out closing the doors again and executing the preprogrammed route that would send the trucks to a logistics yard six kilometers away. They would return to the same spot in two hours. Jason figured if they couldn’t find what they were after by then it would be too late anyway.