Starweb

by Warren James Palmer

  'I don't know skipper! I've never seen anything like it before... The ship is behaving as if we don't exist!

  'Sir, L56, L29 and L33 all report a failure of their mainframe flight systems!' the comms officer called out from the other side of the bridge. 'They're unable to call off the attack on the renegades.'

  The captain of the Samarcian destroyer cursed and slammed her fist down on the inoperative console. In all her years in the home fleet, she'd never seen anything like it. How could the flight computers of not one, but four vessels suddenly go rogue? The answer would have to wait however; right now, she needed control of the ship returned to her.

  'Tell them to cut out the flight computers,' she ordered the comms officer. 'I don't care how they do it, but tell them to regain manual control! Chief?'

  'Yes skipper?'

  'Pull the plug on the mainframe!'

  'But…'

  'I don't care how you manage it, just do it!'

  'Yes captain!'

  The chief systems engineer dashed to the small space below the engineering deck, which contained all the bio-electronic systems, which made up the destroyer’s mainframe computer. He knew of only one way to shut the artificial intelligence down and that was to introduce the terminal virus. He would have to enter his authority code to execute the programme, but once released the virus should act almost instantaneously, corrupting and terminating all the higher functions of the ship's computer.

  He crawled into the narrow space and with some difficulty, found the security plate which would read his iris print. Then he put his eye to the plate and began to mutter the security code. He was expecting a low-powered laser to scan his iris print; he certainly wasn't prepared for the searing pain of the lance which burned through to the eye's nerves.

  There was a wisp of smoke and the sickening smell of burning flesh. The chief howled with pain and pulled away from the plate pressing his hand to his liquefied eyeball. He fell backwards in agony, landing on a series of live power conduits. Flashes of light danced over his body, which jerked in spasms as the current poured through his torso. The chief screamed even louder as his flight suit began to smolder and his flesh became a charred black mass of fused carbon.

  The Samarcian destroyer had identified the risk to it's own existence and was now removing the threat posed by it's human crew. The chief was only the first casualty, the remainder of the crew were soon to follow. Throughout the vessel pressure bulkheads were sealed, airlocks closed, and compartments isolated.

  At first, the captain and her bridge crew were unaware of what was happening; they were still battling with the computer in a vain attempt to regain control of the ship. It was only when the ship's atmosphere was vented into the vacuum of space that they realised the fight was over and they were the losers. To her credit, the captain of the L34 fought with the controls of her workstation until the very end, but as the bridge underwent emergency decompression, her ears bled and her eyes bulged. In less than six minutes it was all over—the entire crew of the L34 were dead. But throughout the drama the destroyer's mainframe computer never once deviated from it's course of interception. The fate of its human masters was never anything more than a minor irritation.

  Moss perceived the fate of the Samarcian crew and although not entirely surprised, was greatly perturbed. He knew the influence of the Starweb computers was spreading rapidly throughout the entire commonwealth, but he never dreamed it could happen so quickly. More than anything, it made him angry. He had no argument with the Samarcian people; they were a part of his own genetic dynasty, and victims of a bizarre fate. The Starweb however, was another matter… The collective of rogue computers, linked as they were via quantum entanglement, was intent upon a regime of genocide that would last for millennia. And he was buggered if he was going to let the bastards get away with it completely…

  'Now!' he called out in his mind, hauling Excalibur around a high 'G' manoeuvre that stressed the composite structure to its limits. Dominator and Valvia performed similar combat breaks whilst Moss extended his potent mind into the very sub-ether where the Starweb operated. With a blast of thought, he blocked the link between the four destroyers and the source of their instructions.

  Despite being autonomous, the mainframes of the pursuing vessels were momentarily at a loss, confused by the wall of interference put up by the operant Terran. The pause was all that the experienced combat pilots needed to turn the tables on their pursuers. Within moments, the three seed-ships had locked onto the tails of the Samarcian destroyers and raked them with the fire of their solitary laser cannons.

  Despite being their sole means of offense, these weapons were more than a match for the fast, but lightly armoured Samarcian destroyers. The final result was inevitable and three out of the four attacking ships were sliced right through. Like a surgeons lance the lasers cut through their hulls, exposing their innards to the vacuum of space. Large sections of their composite hulls span off in all directions only to be vaporised moments later by the flash of energy caused by the failure of the containment fields restraining the destroyers artificial singularities.

  When the blinding light finally faded Sandpiper shook his head and exclaimed, 'My God! The poor bastards! No one could have survived that!'

  'Don't feel too guilty about our actions Han,' Moss told his friend. 'None of the crews survived, but we weren't their killers.'

  'If we didn't, who did?' Jenson queried.

  'The Starweb,' Moss replied, and then explained how he'd perceived the crews being murdered by the mainframe computers.

  'So its started already? Mass genocide that will continue through the centuries.'

  'I'm afraid so...'

  'The fourth destroyer is holding station about five minutes from here,' Jenson told them, reading the information from the Karine's sensors. 'Do you want us to pursue it?'

  'I don't think there's any point,' Moss told the veteran pilot. 'It can out-pace us easily enough, but I don't think it’s going to try and pursue us…leave it.'

  'In that case hadn't we better get the hell out of here? We're far enough from the planet to make the dive into sub-ether space. I don't know about you people, but I'm ready to go home!'

  'Very nearly, Boss, very nearly,' Moss answered. 'We just need to implement those flight programs we inputted, then we can go.'

  'Not before time!' Sandpiper added with feeling. 'With that surviving destroyer watching everything we do, you can guarantee the rest of the home fleet will be after our blood any time now. And there's something weird about those seed-ships. It's as if they're empty chalice's waiting to be filled.'

  'I know what you mean,' Jenson readily agreed. 'It makes you realise just how much the ships mainframes will develop over the eons. At the moment they're completely devoid of any sort of personality.'

  'It's just as well they are,' Jennifer added to the conversation. 'It was a wise move not to engage the computers higher functions until they arrive at their destinations. Otherwise the Starweb would have taken control over them, as well as those destroyers.'

  'Speaking of which, the hordes are on their way. The sensors are registering multiple bogies converging on us. What's the next step in the grand scheme of yours Moss?'

  'We send these babies on their way, then we fend off the Samarcian home-fleet until the seed-ships have disappeared into the depths of the sub-ether,' he told them, then extended his mind toward the vast starships. His telepathic order was recognised and the full-force of the artificial singularities came on line. Simultaneously, the Terran operant mentally began to extend his mind, warping space and time by sheer dint of will, creating a link to the deepest levels of the sub-ether.

  Lollo Rosalio looked down on the figure of Jelde, a strange expression on his face. She lay on a couch in her quarters, her eyes tightly closed, a frightened expression etched on her unattractive face.

  'I can't do this!' she pleaded through thin lips. 'I don't know how!'

  'Yes you do,' the Eco-terrorist told
her mentally, his tone firm, his thoughts strong and authoritative. 'The power is in you somewhere. It's buried under all that selfish guilt you've accumulated over the years. In your heart you know where your talent originates from. You're just afraid to admit it to yourself.'

  'How can I do this when you're constantly hitting on me you bastard,' she hissed and spat, but with her eyes still tightly closed. 'I want to help, I want to make amends, honestly I do… It's simply that I don't know how!'

  'If you really want to save your soul, if your really want to make amends for all those poor buggers you had executed; then you've got to do this!' he snapped at the secret service inspector, totally devoid of any sort of sympathy. 'You're only going to get one chance Jelde, and this is it! Unless you want to end up frazzled like that hapless monk, stop your self-pity! Just do what I do!

  Full of hatred and malice, but acutely aware that if she wanted to survive the night she had no choice but to comply with the ridiculous order, Jelde sealed her lips and concentrated her mind. Was she filled with guilt and remorse? Possibly, but such emotions were entirely new to her.

  She realised that with her mind in turmoil, she was having great trouble even comprehending what was happening to her. However, the cold, calculating side of her mind, which had served her so well in the past, now warned her that unless she co-operated, the Eco-terrorist would destroy her, just as she had frazzled the mind of the unfortunate monk. In fact, nothing would please the bastard more. It was only due to the intervention of the Terran operants that she was alive now.

  At the first the intrusion of Lollo Rossalio's potent mind, Jelde recoiled in horror. The presence of another being in her thoughts was abhorrent to her, and it took all her will power not to fight the attempt at a mental concert. It took several attempts on Rossalio's behalf to really get into to her head, but eventually the meld was complete. Then with the speed of thought, the pair left the material confines of the subterranean base and wondered the infinite layers of the sub-ether. At first, she was overwhelmed and terrified to a level of near insanity. But to Jelde's' surprise she found herself rapidly adjusting to the situation until eventually, she found the sensation at least painless, if not pleasurable.

  She could feel the guiding presence of Rosalio in the background as her mind roamed through space-time. It was as if she were watching the universe from a remote camera, with the ability to zoom to any spot at will. The sensation was strangely familiar, but she didn't know why. Gradually, as the globe of Samarcia disappeared behind them Jelde began to relax somewhat. Her fears of having her mind completely swamped by the Eco-terrorist appeared unfounded.

  'Glad you could join the party,' another presence made itself known. 'I knew you had the talent Jelde if not the will. Perhaps Rosalio won't have to kill you after all…'

  She immediately recognised the thoughts of the Terran operant and could even perceive his small vessel being pursued by the numerous ships of the Samarcian home fleet. Ignoring his jibe, she demanded, 'What's going on here? What is it I'm supposed to be doing?'

  'You of all people should know the why's and wherefore,' the newly arrived female Terran answered ambiguously. 'Look inside yourself for the answers you seek. There's no time for explanations now. We have to take action immediately, whilst the pack is on our heels. In a few minutes the moment will have passed and the opportunity missed. Are you ready?'

  'We're ready,' Rosalio replied firmly. 'Don't worry about our friend here. I'll make sure she toes the line.'

  'Then let the show begin!'

  Jelde found herself becoming a part of a four-way mind concert. The young Terrans powerful minds were like the pinnacle of a pyramid with Rosalio and herself supporting Moss and Jennifer from below. It was a bizarre feeling to be linked in such a manner to others, but one that was strangely familiar.

  Gathered together in concert, sharing a closeness she had never felt with any other soul before, they pushed against the boundaries of sub-ether space. It was like facing a huge wall—an obstruction that was virtually impossible to cross. But the Terrans were not about to be intimidated by the scale of what faced them. Instead, they probed that apparently impenetrable screen, looking for a flaw, a weakness that could be exploited.

  The part of the mental concert that was Jelde began to doubt there was a flaw in the barrier and the whole venture was a waste of effort. But, just as this train of thought began to rise form her subconscious, another Terran mind joined their group effort. An infants mind, barely formed, yet strong and assertive, made its presence known. With barely a ripple of effort the child joined its parents to form an overwhelmingly powerful family bond that probed the boundaries of space and time. After what seemed like an age, but was in fact merely a moment in time, the Terran family found the key they were looking for. Together, the entire group applied the full-force of their combined mental energy at the infinitely tiny fault in the sub-ether barrier.

  The effort was violently painful at first, taking all their combined concentration to expand the infinitely small fault. But, like the proverbial hole in the dam, once they worked at the flaw it was only a question of time before the floodwaters washed the barrier away.

  Despite having seen the incredible spectacle of an operant mentally creating a wormhole in space before, Jenson and Sandpiper still stared in rapture at the beautiful, yet frightening event which was taking place before them.

  The outlines of Excalibur, Dominator and Valvia became blurred, indistinct. Pinpoints of light flashed across their composite hulls at the same time as the seed-ships became translucent, losing their solidity. The flashing lights became more and more intense and began to whirl round and round like a vortex. The vortex grew until it devoured all three of the massive starships. A galaxy of stars swam across them, becoming more and more intense, until they were completely swamped. Then the swirling mass expanded in an explosion of light and energy that lasted for a fraction of a second then vanished.

  Where only a moment ago the brand-new seed-ships, the last desperate hope for the Samarcian people, had floated in space, there was nothing. No debris, no exhaust emissions, nothing; the wormhole had devoured them all. The starships had slipped into the sub-ether and finally begun the long journey to self-realisation and the salvation of the species. The stars that shone upon the Samarcian home world continued to shine as if nothing had happened.

  Unfortunately, the last surviving destroyer, controlled as it was by the Starweb, did not act as if nothing had happened. It leapt forward like a startled animal, surveying the area where the three ships had been only moments before. Then it turned in angry pursuit of the Karine

  Jenson took the controls and accelerated away, keeping just ahead of the pursuing ship. Unlike the seed-ships, the smaller Terran destroyer was as fast and as manoeuvrable as any of the Samarcian ships. So the Karine was able to remain just outside the grasp of the pursuers. Even so, now that their charges were safely on their way, it was clearly time they were gone as well. It would only take a lucky shot from the pursuing Starweb destroyer to ruin their day.

  ‘Outstanding work people!’ Jenson declared to his team-mates, ‘A spectacle we shall never forget! Fantastic! However, if I may be so bold? Can I suggest it’s time we said our own farewells and were on our merry way? The natives are as restless as ever…’

  Moss laughed out loud. Now free of the duties of controlling three massive starships, he extracted himself from the interactive flight system he had used to link with the departed Excalibur. Still pumped up with adrenaline from both piloting the seed-ships and the mental concert, he glanced towards Jennifer and baby Arthur sitting opposite him in the Karine’s cockpit. He smiled broadly at them and was rewarded with a happy chortle from his baby son, and a tired smile from his weary wife.

  ‘Of course Boss,’ He replied to Jenson whilst winking at Jennifer. ‘Our work here is done. Let’s hit the road…’

  ‘Amen to that…’ Hanson added with a heartfelt sigh.

  It was a life-chang
ing event. Jelde was struggling to define what had just taken place. Superlatives like, “amazing” and “incredible”, simply could not give justice to the event. Her mind had been entwined with other minds and together, working co-operatively, they had warped the very fabric of space and time! It was beyond description...

  ‘Now you have some understanding of the limitless potential of the mind.’ Lollo Rosalio thought at her. ‘But, only through co-operative actions, can such events of such gargantuan proportions take place.’

  ‘I’m speechless…’ Jelde responded. ‘Never, in my wildest dreams did I believe such a thing was possible. It defies belief!’

  ‘But, believe you must,’ another thought entered her mind. It was Jennifer, the Terran woman. ‘In the coming months and years the Samarcian people are going to need your help if any are to survive.’

  ‘Why, what is going to happen?’ Jelde demanded.

  ‘That’s not for use to say,’ the other Terran, the one called Moss, answered. ‘We only know what happens to Samarcia in our space-timeline. What happens to your Samarcia will depend upon the actions of those like yourself and Lollo. What I can tell you is that without mutual cooperation, the future will be bleak!’

  ‘Nicely put dear’, Jennifer added,’however, may I point out that other matters are pressing?’

  ‘Indeed they are…’ Moss replied. ‘So, just one more big push my friends, and we will be on our way!’

  ‘We’re going to do that again?’ Jelde asked, both nervous and excited at the prospect of another mind meld.

  ‘Yes, but this should be relatively straightforward. The Karine is tiny compared to those starships, so the wormhole vortex we need to create will be far smaller.’ Jennifer told her soothingly.

  ‘I am saddened to see you go, but gladdened by the success of launching our vessels on their way.’ Lollo told the Terrans, ‘You will be greatly missed my friends!’