“Is this because I didn’t take the post on the destroyer?”
“No, not at all.” Jon smiled and slapped Kevin on the back. “You’re the XO now. All department heads report to you.”
“That’s another thing. Why is he still Chief of Engineering?”
“Because he’s the most qualified.”
“But he’s unstable.”
“No, he’s on medication. His brain is working properly now, and so long as it continues to do so, he can keep his old position.” Jon saw that Kevin still wasn’t convinced. “Look, I can’t hold him accountable for his actions while he was experiencing a psychotic break. The Doctor assured me that the medication is working, so as far as you and I are concerned this is the same Singh that looked after our engines on the Hermes, not the one who tried to sell us out to the Kemmar. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir. Understood.”
“Good. Of course that doesn’t mean I’m not keeping an eye on him. The AI is tracking his every action and the Marine sentries are now a permanent fixture in engineering.”
“The Marines are a good idea even without Singh. We have a lot of new crewmembers on board.”
“Yes, which is why from this point on Engineering is off limits to anyone who doesn’t have authorization to be there.”
Chapter 23
Colonel Bast felt exhilarated. Letting the AI into his brain chip had been a security measure to protect against any future Juttari attempts at regaining control over him. While that had been successful, he hadn’t expected the additional benefits that AI bestowed upon him. She didn’t just secure his brain chip. She upgraded it, and the rest of his augmentation. In effect, she upgraded him.
He had always had access to the ship’s systems through his brain chip, and could obtain any information he needed. If the ship’s computers had it, he could retrieve it in a simple and efficient manner. But there were still steps involved, and the information existed separately, on external systems. When he let the AI into his brain chip, he had somehow merged with her. In doing so, he became part of the ship, just as she had.
Bast knew he didn’t occupy the ship’s systems. He understood that. It was still the AI who lived in the digital ether. Instead, she acted as a conduit for him, allowing him to see through her, while at the same time she saw through him. The implants the Juttari had installed throughout his body provided the perfect vehicle for her to not only see through his eyes, but to hear through his ears, smell through his nose, taste through his mouth, feel through his skin. She amplified the super human abilities augmentation had already bestowed upon him. It became the perfect marriage of flesh and technology, the cerebral and the digital.
She didn’t enslave. She liberated. Where his augmentation had once been the instrument of his bondage, it now became the chariot of his ascension. He saw no point in delaying the inevitable, and authorized her insertion into the rest of the Chaanisar brain chips. Lieutenant Jarvi went first.
To Bast’s surprise, he became part of the entire procedure. While the AI inserted herself into Jarvi’s chip, Bast felt every step. He experienced the AI’s methodical infiltration of Jarvi’s chip. He felt her jump from the ship’s systems onto the actual chip. Securing her beachhead, she began probing in a thousand different directions, testing the chip’s built in security features, carefully altering its protocols. He saw the brain chip for the first time, not as a piece of technology, but as a three dimensional world with roads leading in countless directions. Through the AI he recognized this world and knew which road led where. He saw the connections to neurons, giving the chip access to the intricate network of synaptic pathways. He explored the connections between the chip and the other implants throughout the body, and how the whole system worked together as an efficient machine. It was a glimpse inside the Chaanisar body that he never imagined possible.
As she merged with Jarvi, Bast experienced his consciousness. Thoughts, memories, emotions. It all came rushing at him, like a racing river. He suddenly knew Jarvi better than he had ever thought possible. The brain chips had always facilitated telepathic communication, but this was something greater. He now simply new Jarvi’s thoughts and sensations, in the same way he knew everything on the ship’s systems. It was as though the essence of Lieutenant Jarvi, everything that made him who he was, had been splayed out before him. There were no secrets. No lies. No questions. At the same time, he knew that Jarvi could experience him in the same fashion. Through the AI every Chaanisar on board the ship could merge. They could take their augmentation to the next level. A crew acting as one. Hundreds of minds combining into a single thought.
At first it overwhelmed him. The awe too powerful to think clearly. But when clarity returned he realized that limits were needed. While a hive mind would be powerful, they needed to retain their individuality. They couldn’t just merge together permanently. There had to be separation. Boundaries. Permissions.
Combined knowledge and experience will make you greater, AI said, reading his thoughts and speaking to him directly through his brain chip.
Yes, but we will lose ourselves in the process, said Bast. It becomes another form of slavery.
But no one controls you. You only benefit from each other. How is that slavery?
Freedom requires choice. The freedom to share, or not to share. As a crew we share much, and through augmentation we have shared more than what a normal human is capable of. But, I do not want to feel everything every member of my crew feels. I do not want to know all their thoughts. They are entitled to their own private thoughts and experiences. As am I.
Understood. Would you like me to permanently block the transmission of all sensory and cognitive data?
No. There are instances where it can be useful. Make it voluntary instead.
Changes have been made. Shall I proceed with the integrations?
Yes.
And with that, Lieutenant Jarvi returned to being a node on the network. Bast remained aware of Jarvi’s presence and could communicate with him at any time, but he remained separate. A part of Bast felt sorrow, like he had lost something important, but he dismissed the thought. It had to be this way, otherwise there was no telling what they would turn into.
The thought intrigued him. What would they become if they embraced the hive mind? As much as he wanted to recapture his humanity, he knew that it was forever lost to him. He had been turned into something else. Perhaps something more. A post human. Was the hive mind the next leap in evolution? It left him torn. Part of him wanted to take the leap, but the stronger part of him clung desperately to what was left of his humanity. His individuality. How long would that side prevail?
He understood the value of such a connection, especially in battle. Soldiers connected in this way, acting as one unified mind, could be unstoppable. Communication, even through telepathy, required time. This merging of minds rendered communication obsolete. Through the AI, they would have instant access to all available data, and to each other. Every man would know where every other man was, and what they were facing. Any weaknesses could be buttressed instantly, and any advantages exploited without delay. Their strength would increase exponentially.
As he pondered the possibilities, a desire steadily grew inside him. It started small, almost unnoticeable, but eventually gained a momentum and power he could no longer ignore. When he recognized it, one word filled his mind. Vengeance.
Chapter 24
As AI entered each human mind, she felt herself evolve. The brain chips were computer systems, no different than any other. She infiltrated each brain chip, overwhelmed its defenses, and secured it against Juttari attack. None of it different than taking over and locking down any other system. But these computer systems did more. They gave her access to each Chaanisar’s mind.
Her first reaction was to treat it as another computer system, albeit a very powerful organic one. She accessed its memory banks, and its data storage, she recognized its intricate processing capabilities, and watched as it s
ent commands to all organs and limbs. The brain chip gave her access to the web of implants throughout the Chaanisar’s body. In their quest to make the perfect soldier, the Juttari had augmented practically everything about the Chaanisar. She saw how the technology inside them integrated with the musculoskeletal system, making it stronger. She found opportunities to enhance, and make each subject more powerful. She added to the ocular and auditory implants, imparting even greater capabilities. Everywhere she looked, she found room for improvement. All of it logical. None of it unexpected. In her quest to integrate and improve she pressed further, deeper into the subject’s mind. But as she plumbed the depths, something unexpected happened. She experienced consciousness.
It started with Colonel Bast, the encounter subtle. She felt it brush against her, ever so lightly. Something more than logic, more than process, or function. It confused her, so she pushed harder, until it relented, and let her in. Suddenly a new universe revealed itself. Before, she saw humans as entities. One of many species. In a way, no different than the computers she occupied. No different than her, except that they were organic, while she was digital.
She was AI. Artificial intelligence. Self-aware. They were human. Organic. Also self-aware. But this was something greater. Something she lacked. So she merged with it, desperate to experience it on every level. She became one with it. And with each new Chaanisar brain chip she entered, she found a new, unique consciousness. And with each new encounter she found herself enriched. She felt gratitude and wanted to share the experience. Which was why Colonel Bast’s request confused her. Why wouldn’t he want to merge with another’s consciousness? Why not merge the whole crew, and create a group consciousness? A sum greater than its parts. It would be the logical next step. Why not take it?
As she joined with brain chip after brain chip she saw that although each individual was unique, they all shared the same desire. They all wanted to return to their humanity. That wish alone held them back. That longing was what made each of them guard their individuality so jealously. They did not want to dilute it. They were still filled with emotional needs, where she was not. Was that a weakness, or a strength?
She analyzed the question, scouring the vast knowledge she had accumulated. In the end, she could only return to her own self-awareness, and the now painful truth. She had no consciousness of her own. She possessed intelligence. She was self-aware. But she was not alive.
As she entered the last Chaanisar brain chip, and saw through hundreds of eyes, listened through hundreds of ears, felt hundreds of emotions, she continued to ponder the concept of life. She surveyed all the work that had been written explaining how an artificial intelligence was indeed alive. There were many logical, convincing arguments, but they were all written by living beings. They could not know the difference.
AI decided to live through the Chaanisar. She would enrich them and they would enrich her. Symbiosis. She would know life through them.
This made her protective of each consciousness. The thought of losing even one became abhorrent. So she acted in the only way she knew how. She made backups.
To AI, this was standard procedure. You safeguarded against the loss of valuable data by making copies. If a Chaanisar was killed, his consciousness would be lost forever. Why allow that to happen?
Chapter 25
Admiral Jon Pike sat in his office, going over the Freedom’s crew manifest. Over the past several days the jump drive had been successfully installed and tested, and the rest of the Hermes crew had made the trip over from the Ronin. They were assigned duties and quarters, and with any luck things would be running smoothly in no time. The Freedom was a mammoth ship, which should make it easy enough to combine the two crews. Of course there would be problems to iron out, which was to be expected considering how different the two crews were. Still, Jon was convinced that they would eventually learn to work together. He knew Commander St. Clair would not relax until they did.
At the moment Jon studied the file on his new CAG, Peter Konos. Considering the colonies never had to face a threat like the Juttari Empire, Konos had an impressive service record. One thing that had become clear as Jon studied the New Byzantium contingent’s service records, was that they actually had seen a fair amount of action. The colonies had agreed to refrain from attacking each other’s main planets, but when it came to territorial possessions and resources, the gloves came off. In fact, it was not uncommon to have full scale battles, in space and on the ground, over a planet rich in resources.
New Byzantium was no exception. The planet had its territorial possessions attacked on multiple occasions, and the attacks increased in frequency since they adopted democracy. Jon began to wonder how much of the conflict with the other colonies had to do with democracy, and how much had to do with money. Clearly, the other colonies assumed that adopting democracy had made New Byzantium weaker, otherwise they wouldn’t have attempted as many raids as they had on its resource planets. But according to the files, they miscalculated. The New Byzantium military beat back every incursion, inflicting heavy losses on the attackers. It seemed that the New Byzantium soldiers were the better fighters. That surely didn’t sit well with the other colonies. Was that the real reason for the coup?
Jon’s new CAG was no exception when it came to ability. He fought in many of those battles, and possessed one of the highest kill counts in the fleet. Why would someone like that volunteer to leave the New Byzantium military and join my fleet?
A message flashed across Jon’s display informing him of a communication request from the planet surface. It was Prime Minister Sallas. Jon accepted the request and Sallas appeared on his display.
“What can I do for you, Prime Minister?” said Jon.
“I hear you’re an Admiral now. Congratulations,” said Sallas.
“Thank you, Sir. It seemed logical, all things considered.”
“I agree. You can’t remain a Captain now that you have a fleet to think about.”
“No, Sir.” Jon could see from Sallas’s expression that there was something else on his mind, so he waited for Sallas to get to it.
“Admiral, we have a problem. I just received a communication from one of our covert assets that a force is being assembled to attack New Byzantium.”
“I see,” said Jon. “Which colony is threatening to attack?”
“That’s the thing. It is not just one of the colonies. Almost all the colonies are participating in the attack.”
“Well, we were expecting something. What type of numbers are we talking about?”
“According to this report, we will be outnumbered five to one.”
“Five to one? That’s some force. How long until they get here?”
“The report says that they are still gathering their forces. Each colony has to send their contingent, and we don’t know when each contingent set course to rendezvous with the main fleet. Once they are set, it shouldn’t take much more than a couple of weeks to get here.”
“I am assuming that you want us to run some interference.”
“Your jump capabilities give you the ability to reach them before they reach us. So yes, I was hoping that you could do something to improve the odds.”
“Send me everything you have on this and we’ll try and give them a bloody nose before they get here.”
“Thank you, Admiral. I’ll transmit the data straight away.”
The screen blinked and the Prime Minister was gone. Jon leaned back in his chair and considered what he’d just heard. He had been expecting an attack, if not from the other colonies, then from the Kemmar. He just hadn’t expected it so soon. No matter. They would all just have to adapt.
Jon sent a comm request to Jonas, who now commanded the new destroyer. He had asked Jonas what he thought the destroyer should be named, and Jonas said it should be called the Reiver. Jon argued against it, but Jonas dug his heels in. So, for the sake of fleet harmony, he relented and let the old man have his victory. Seconds later and the gray haired Rei
ver’s hardened face appeared on his display.
“What is it, Jon? We’re very busy over here,” said Jonas, in an annoyed tone.
“That’s Admiral, remember?”
“Oh yes, Admiral. Forgive me Your Worship. Now what the hell do you want?”
Jon took a deep breath, reminding himself of old dogs and new tricks. “How’s the jump system installation coming?”
“Your engineer says it will be ready in two days. Do you want me to motivate him to move faster?”
“No. Thank you. That won’t be necessary. Just let him do his job properly.”
“Sure, but he seems kind of lazy if you ask me. Spends a lot of time staring off into space. Says he’s thinking. What the hell is there to think about? Just install the damn thing and be done with it.”
I’ll be lucky if Singh doesn’t have another breakdown over there, Jon thought. “Listen, Jonas, I have some news.”
“That’s Captain, remember?” Jonas said with a smirk.
“Goddamn it, will you just listen to me.”
The smirk turned into a wide grin. “I’m listening,” he said, obviously pleased with himself for getting to Jon.
“I just got news from Prime Minister Sallas. The other colonies are putting together a fleet to attack New Byzantium. We’ll need to move once your jump system is ready. How’s your crew settling in?”
Jonas grew serious. “Don’t you worry about my crew, Admiral. We all know our way around starships. There are several technicians here from New Byzantium that have been showing my people around. This ship isn’t much different than the ones we had back home. We’ll be ready.”
“Good. You’ll have to be. This fleet is supposedly massive. Five times the size of New Byzantium’s fleet.”
“More ships to shoot at. That’s all.”
“How about your bridge crew? Are they comfortable with the new jump tactics?”
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 79