“We think we got it, sir,” agreed Jensen, watching as the stewards brought in the meal. She had to admit that the people, at least the higher ups, of this world ate well. She was the only one of her team present for this meeting. The rest were either out on the town or hanging around the barracks for some more sedate entertainment.
“Where do the University people think this thing originally came from?” asked Jensen after taking a bite of the baked fish. I could retire here, she thought, the taste of the fresh seafood still on her taste buds. Great weather, beautiful scenery. What wasn’t there to like? With the exception of an unknown number of enormous predators hunting through the seas.
“We really have no idea where it came from,” said Colonel M’tabasa, shaking his head, then taking a fork full of a crab cake and blowing on it for a second. “We just know that it isn’t from here. There’s no way two separate evolutionary lines could develop like this, especially on a world where the stronger is preying on the weaker.” With that he put the crab in his mouth and chewed with an expression of pleasure.
“I think we can agree with that,” said the Governor. “How the hell it got here? I don’t know, and all experts can give me is conjecture. I would think it had to be deposited here by some intelligence, though for the life of me I can’t figure out why.”
“Unless it came here on its own,” said Jensen, scowling.
“Like it flew here in a ship?” asked M’tabasa, eyes wide. “You don’t think this thing could be intelligent, do you?”
“Of course not,” chimed in the Governor quickly.
He knows the law as well as I do, thought Jensen, looking at the man. If it’s intelligent by any measure of such, we have to make sure we don’t wipe out the species. Which doesn’t mean we can’t kill all of them but the single specimen, since they seem to be asexual, and then capture it. Like that would be easy, was the last thought as she coughed out a laugh.
“Something funny, Major?” asked Frieze, a frown on his own face.
“Just the image of a protoplasmic water dweller building a spaceship and flying it here, sir,” she answered with a straight face. “I couldn’t imagine a more unlikely scenario.”
“Nor could I,” replied Colonel Suarez. The leader of the planetary militia looked over at the Governor with a smug expression on her face. “Let the Major find all of these things for us, and my people will go in and kill every last one of them.”
“And if they’re intelligent?”
“I don’t think that likely, Major,” said Suarez. “As you said, they’re protoplasmic creatures. And according to the information you brought back, the sample, they seem to be some kind of impossible single celled creature. Though I’m not even sure if the concept of cell has any meaning with this thing. And who ever heard of a blob of protoplasm with a damned brain?”
“Do you think you can find the rest of them, Major?” asked Frieze, pointing his fork at Jensen.
“Oh, we can find them, given time,” she replied. “Probably after they have made more attacks and killed more people.”
“I hate to hear that,” said Frieze. “I understand, but I still hate to hear that there’s going to be more people dead before we can stop these things.”
“Unless we move all of our people inland on the larger islands,” said Suarez, looking around the table.
“Even the dolphins and the orcas?” asked M’tabasa.
“We can prepare tanks for them,” replied Suarez.
“I think we’re getting a little hasty here,” said the Governor, throwing is fork on his plate. “Let’s give the Major some more time to locate these things. After all, I don’t think they’re going to show up at our front door and make easy targets of themselves.”
That would be too damned easy, thought Jensen, shaking her head in agreement. No, they’re going to make themselves hard to find from now on.
“You have a call from the University, sir,” came a voice over the intercom. “Professor Jameson.”
“That’s the chief of the zoology department at the University,” said Frieze, looking over at Jensen. “His people took charge of the samples you brought back.” He looked back at the center of the table. “Bring him up on holo.”
The image of a tanned man of indeterminate age appeared in the holo projected at the center of the table. His features were Northern European, his tan the result of much time out in the sun, which showed he wasn’t a lab rat.
“We have a preliminary workup on one of the samples, Governor,” said the man, nodding toward Frieze.
“What kind of life form is it, Professor?” asked Frieze, leaning forward in his chair.
“I’m not even sure that term fits, sir.”
Jensen felt the hairs on her neck rise. If the term life form didn’t fit, what did?
“It seems to be made up of a combination of biological and mechanical matter. Not really nanotech, but micro-machines on a slightly larger scale, along with what I can only term biological factories that produce a variety of substances, including the most powerful molecular acid any of us have ever seen.”
“What about a nervous system?” asked Jensen, pulling up the data the University had already uploaded to the government net. “Does it have a brain?” That was the question she was most interested in. If it didn’t have a center of intelligence, it couldn’t be intelligent, could it?
“It really doesn’t need one, as far as we can tell. Every one of the mechanical components seems to incorporate some memory storage, and the entire network transmits at the speed of electrical transmission. The entire creature is a nodal network, with memories reproduced tens of thousands of times.”
“Capabilities?” asked the Major.
“Mostly unknown, but most probably greater than any true life form could manifest. Whatever we could do with electromagnetism. Frankly, I really couldn’t tell you, but the speculation is frightening.”
“How could something like this evolve?” asked the Governor, his face pale as he digested the implications of what the professor was saying.
“I would say that it was most unlikely that something like this evolved,” said Jameson. “I would say that it was most likely built.”
Jensen felt the shiver of fear grow to almost panic. Who in the hell would have built something like this, and what happened to them? Based on what happened to most species that tampered with self-aware machines, which was the closest thing she could think of when contemplating this information, their creation probably destroyed them.
“I can’t stress this enough, Governor,” said the Professor, his eyes narrowing. “This thing probably didn’t come from this Galaxy, and the only reason I could think of to move on is because it used all of the resources it needs in whatever place it came from. This thing cannot be allowed to get off this planet.”
* * *
Chaim Gonzalez looked up from the book he was reading as the sound of horses screaming in panic came to his ears.
“What the hell is going on with the animals?” asked Glori, his wife, sitting in her own chair, working on a flat comp.
“I don’t know,” answered Chaim, getting up from his chair and setting the book on the side table. “But I guess I should go check on them.”
“You want me to come with you?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “They’re probably just spooked by their own shadows. I‘ll go out and settle them down, then I’ll be right back.”
Chaim hit the panel that opened the door to the house, stepping out into the cool night air of his private island. At just over two hundred years of age, having made his fortune as an executive vice president of one of the largest shipping companies in the Empire, retirement looked good. And when he found this planet through his company’s database, it looked even better. So he bought a small island, six kilometers long by two at its widest. It allowed him a dock for his yacht, pastures for the horses his wife had wanted, and the goats that he thought would provide healthy milk and cheese. He
ran a small fish farm, the animals herded by the dolphin family that were his partners.
The air was filled with the scent of flowering plants, and the sounds of the horses raising hell, as if the devil himself were coming for them. The goats were also crying into the night. And the normal night sounds of the island, the birds and bats, were absent.
What the hell, he thought as he jogged over to the stables, opening the doors to the sight and sound of the four beasts attacking the gates that held them in their individual holding pens. “What’s wrong, guys?” he asked, reaching a hand into one of the stalls to rub it over the nose of the mare.
Suddenly, one of the other horses kicked open its gate and ran out of the stable at a gallop.
“Dammit,” cursed Chaim, vacillating for a moment between going to round up the horse or just letting it free for the night. Not like it could get into too much trouble on four square kilometers of island.
Chaim left the stable, still trying to decide, and took a look at the ocean. It looked like a wave was coming in, then the wrongness of the image struck him. The wave was ten meters above the normal surface of the ocean, and moving too slowly for any kind of rogue wave. And it was coming straight for the beach.
Lock down the house, he sent over his link to the house computer system. Immediately the doors and windows were closed by the outer protective panels he had installed. Unlike many of the houses in the islands, his was made of the strongest of modern materials, and there was no way a wave was going to wash it away. Glori was safe, no matter what. That was his last thought as the wave crested and came onto the island without breaking like a normal wave. It came down on the trees, which dissolved on contact, then continued in to hit the man and the stables. In an instant he, the horses and the building had gone the way of the trees, dissolved away by molecular acid.
Glori looked up as the window and door barriers slid into place. She was out of her seat when the scream of her husband came over the com link, cut off almost immediately. Moments later something heavy hit the house, which was now sealed with the toughest materials known to the Empire. Whatever it was continued to attack the house for some minutes before rolling on to wherever it was going.
Glori was almost in a panic. She couldn’t contact her husband, but that last transmission had not been hopeful. Nothing was coming through the walls of the house, but she wasn’t sure how long that would last. The net, she thought next, wondering if her husband’s transmission had made into the planetary communications and database system.
Like any Imperial colony planet that had reached at least advanced frontier status, New Lemuria had a planetary system linked through satellites and ground stations. It allowed every colonist access to the planetary communications system over the great majority of the surface. It also monitored health and wellbeing, not in a manner that intruded on the privacy of the individual, another of the sacred cows of the Empire, but worked on the trip wire principle. When the life signs of a colonist reached a near critical stage, the alarm was sounded through the system, the location of the victim was ascertained, and help was sent. Within moments after Chaim Gonzalez’ cessation of life functions the system was alerted. When the carrier wave of his implant ceased microseconds later the alert level was raised as the system realized it might have been a catastrophic death, the kind that could put other colonists at risk. Seconds later, Gloria Gonzalez’ transmission hit the system, within seconds linked to her husband’s alert.
Satellites zoomed in on the area, and vids of the island were soon in the system, compared with the last shots on file, and found that with the exception of the main house the small land mass had been scoured clean. As this met the criterion of an attack by the creature that had been destroying ships and shore installations, the alarm went up to the highest level, setting off klaxons at both the Planetary Police and Militia Headquarters.
Within minutes, more incidents appeared on the alert boards. Other small islands, boats, even some tribes of dolphins out at sea disappeared with a cessation of life functions. Space borne sensors zoomed in on the ocean off the capital, and it didn’t take long to determine that something of a denser structure than the sea water it was flowing through was in five distinct locations, all on a heading for the harbor and the city.
* * *
“So much for having a difficult time trying to find them,” said Governor Frieze as he looked over at the other three diners, who had all gotten to their feet, eyes closed as they transmitted their orders to their commands.
“It looks like they have some basic intelligence after all,” said Jensen, opening her eyes as she finished her initial transmission.
“Why do you say that?” asked the Governor.
“Because they aren’t coming in like animals,” said M’tabasa, eyes wide. “They are coordinated, and are launching an attack on the stronghold of their enemy.”
“If they were human, I would say their attack pattern is incompetent,” said Suarez, shaking her head. “Instead of avoiding the outposts and coming in under the sensor screen, they are destroying whatever happens to be in their way.”
“The Professor said they were probably machine intelligences,” said M’tabasa. “Machine intelligences that aren’t programmed for war are not that that good at it.”
“But machines can learn over time,” said Suarez.
“Is this really important?” yelled Jensen, stamping a foot on the floor. “We have some very dangerous creatures heading for the city.” She looked over at the center of the table and sent out a command through her implant, raising a holo map of the area, showing the city, all of the local towns surrounding, islands with dwellings, and of course ships and boats at sea. And the images of the five creatures heading their way, getting closer by the moment. “We need to get our people deployed and repel this attack.”
“You’re right, Major,” said Frieze, jumping to his feet as well. “Colonel M’tabasa. Colonel Suarez. Get your people deployed at the water front. I’m sending an alert to the civil defense system to get everyone into the shelters.”
“Can you get them there in time?” asked Jensen, turning toward the door in a jog-walk.
“I’m not sure.”
“Then have the people in modern buildings stay where they are, but seal up the structures as if a seismic wave was coming in.”
“Like the one building on that island that survived,” said Frieze, understanding in his eyes. “That should work. Any other suggestions?”
“I think we should make sure all of our troops are equipped with energy weapons. Lasers and particle beams. I doubt that projectile weapons are going to do much.”
“Not even explosive weapons?” asked Suarez.
“Any part blown off one of these things is turned into a separate creature,” said Jensen. “I’m not sure that’s good or bad, but I would rather have less of them to deal with.”
“Incendiaries?”
“That might work,” said Jensen, thinking for a moment. “Do your sea dwelling citizens have any armor or sonic weapons.”
“We have some in the militia,” said Suarez.
“Then get them in the water around the creatures. My dolphins and suited constables were able to hurt the one we fought under water.”
“We’ll get them moving,” said Suarez, turning and running from the room.
“And call in any orbital support you have,” finished Jensen.
“We’re calling in the system defense frigates,” said the Governor, closing his eyes for a moment to link. “But two of them are at least a half hour from orbital insertion. One is in orbit, and can be in position in less than fifteen.”
And those things will be in the harbor in less than ten minutes, thought the Major as she continued out the door, sending a signal to her command, ordering the sub to get into position.
“We can wait for you,” said Kama over the com.
“You can fight the boat without me. So get the Argonaut into position and get ready to attack.”
/>
She would miss the boat, but there was an undersea battle suit waiting for her on the waterfront. This time she would get close and personal.
* * *
The city resembled a scene from an old monster movie, the kind that came along with the Exodus ships as part of their cultural database, and that were experiencing a revival on the core worlds. Sirens sounded as people on the streets ran for shelters, some underground, some in the many modern buildings. Cars were taking to the air, filled with those who preferred to get away from the unknown danger heading their way.
Other aerial vehicles, these of a military configuration, came speeding in from the landing pads outside the city. All sped to their places, hovering in place where they could take the waterfront under fire. There were some near misses as the scores of vehicles jockeyed for position. Other vehicles moved out into the harbor, where they joined the military and police patrol boats in forming the first line of defense.
Ground cars and aerial transports were also converging on the harbor, disgorging militia in light combat armor and police in even lighter riot armor. Armored cars and light tanks joined them, turrets traversing to cover the approaches to the city from the waterfront.
“We’re in position,” came the call of Suarez over the tactical com.
“Acknowledged,” said Jensen as she sealed herself up in her suit and stepped toward the water. In moments she was totally immersed, suited dolphins and humans forming up around her and moving out. She picked up more dolphins and some orcas on her HUD, many of them without suits, but equipped with the sonic amplifiers that most used in their fish herding activities.
“Everyone ready for this?” she asked over the local com. The acknowledgements came back over her command circuit, but she had to wonder how many of them really were prepared for this battle. “Then let’s go.”
She engaged the propulsion of her suit, keeping her speed down to twenty knots so the unsuited cetaceans could keep up. She wanted them in the background, sniping with their sonics through openings, while her battle suited people had the ability to avoid the pseudopods of these things with their superior speed.
Exodus: Tales of The Empire: Book 2: Beasts of the Frontier. Page 22