by M. D. Cooper
“No,” Diana shook her head and looked to Sera. “You referred to Airtha as a person. Who is she?”
Tanis glanced at Sera and nodded slowly. “If we are to forge an alliance with Diana, we need to spill it eventually. Might as well be now.”
Sera swallowed and straightened her posture, then took a sip of her wine. “Airtha is my mother—sort of.”
Diana clasped her hands and placed them on her knee. “This sounds like it’ll be good.”
Sera proceeded to tell Diana everything, from her mother’s mission to the galactic core, to her subversion of all the Transcend’s AIs. She told of Elena’s betrayal on the bridge of the Galadrial, and of the invasion of New Canaan, and the presence of the I2 outside the Bosporus System.
Diana didn’t ask a single question through the entire tale, but Tanis could see them building up behind her eyes. When Sera was done, Diana took a deep breath.
“I’m going to need something stronger than wine.”
Petra rose and poured Diana a glass of bourbon, which she wordlessly handed to the empress before returning to her seat.
Diana ticked items off her fingers one at a time. “Jump gates, nanotech, picotech, core AI, growing entire ships, AI subversion, civil war, galactic war, things in the dark layer? Do I have it all? Just those few things going on? You know, on top of the fact that the FGT isn’t gone, and is itself involved in a civil war—from my point of view.”
“There are probably more things, if you count what Orion is up to in the Hegemony and the Pleiades, and what they’re pushing the Nietzscheans to do,” Sera replied.
“I doubt Constantine requires much pushing,” Diana said with a heavy sigh. “If ever there was a power-hungry man, it is he. He’ll see Nietzschea spread to the edges of the galaxy, if he can. I suppose that’s one advantage. The Trisilieds, Nietzschea, the Hegemony…all of Orion’s allies are expansionists; they want to grow in power and size at any cost. At some point, those allies will become foes. Either to one another, or to Orion.”
“And you?” Tanis asked. “You’re not interested in spreading Scipio’s power?”
Diana rose from her seat on the sofa, her long dark dress flowing gracefully around her. “I used to be, when I first took the throne. When I remade Scipio into what it is today. But managing an empire is not easy work—as I imagine you know, Sera. You’re new at the job, but the realization does not take long to settle in.”
Sera laughed. “You’re right about that.”
Diana stood at the window and stared out at the dimly lit palace gardens. “I believe that Scipio is probably about as big as it can get without fracturing. Stars, it’s already on the edge of fracturing in some places.”
“Then why are you pushing into the fringe between you and Silstrand?” Tanis asked. “From what I understand, you may even be pushing into Silstrand itself.”
Diana sighed. “Yes, that is happening—but not to achieve the end you think. Silstrand is weak, it’s sick. They have systems like Gedri—a haven of scum and villainy, if there ever was one—yet they have official representation in the Silstrand government.
“When you last visited Silstrand, Tanis—yes, I know when and where you were—you’ll recall that they were in the midst of electing a more expansionist government. Or so I hoped.
“Instead they ushered in a new government that decided to hunker down and protect existing interests. That was a bad move on their part.”
Tanis leaned back and took a sip of her water. “You want them to expand and become a more effective buffer against the Hegemony.”
Diana sighed. “Stars, I’ve even offered them money, ships, whatever. I don’t want to absorb Silstrand; I want to strengthen it. But being at the edge of an empire like mine has made them wary. They don’t trust my offers of assistance.”
“Can you blame them?” Sera asked. “You have a bit of a reputation.”
Diana gave an overloud laugh. “I do, at that, don’t I?”
“So your latest plan was, what? To turn them into a vassal state?”
“Yes,” Diana shrugged. “With the added benefit of getting my hands on the nanotech you sold to S&H Defensive Armaments. They have not been good stewards of that technology. A lot of trouble would have been saved if you had sold it to the empire instead.”
“I didn’t think they’d be able to do anything with it,” Tanis admitted. “Turns out I should have given human ingenuity more credit.”
“I suppose we all fall into that trap from time to time,” Diana replied. “Now, I know you want an alliance; you want my help in keeping the Inner Stars in order so that you can focus on your civil war within the Transcend, and then your other civil war with Orion. What are you offering?”
Tanis could tell that Diana was referring to the war with Orion as a civil war to emphasize how it wasn’t her problem. She considered debating that, but decided that either the empress would eventually see the scope of the overarching war for what it was, or she wouldn’t.
For now, if she was content to push back against the Hegemony, that would have to be enough.
“Jump gates,” Sera offered. “We can give you a hundred gates, and the technology to build interdictor systems, as well.”
Diana nodded. “Interdiction would be nice. I’d wondered about how one dealt with deep-system incursions. Especially after what happened at New Canaan. Normally an enemy has to fly into the gravity well for days to get to the inner worlds. The idea that they could jump right onto one’s doorstep is alarming, to say the least.”
“You’re right about that,” Tanis replied.
“And what about the technology to build our own jump gates?” Diana asked.
“Not yet,” Sera replied. “For now we need to keep that technology under control. If it made its way out into the general populace, the results could be highly destabilizing.”
“I’m not ready to concede that, but we can move on for now,” Diana replied. “What else?”
“The same nanotech that New Canaan has shared with the Transcend,” Sera replied. “And also a black box stasis shield tech.”
“Black box?” Diana replied.
“No one gets the source tech,” Tanis stated in a tone that brooked no further discussion. “Just like no one gets picotech. The galaxy is not ready for that yet.”
Diana met Tanis’s eyes, and her steely gaze was intimidating—if Tanis were the sort to be intimidated by such things. “And you get to decide that, do you?”
“Yes,” Tanis replied evenly. “I do.”
Diana’s pursed lips split into a grin. “I expected no less. I wouldn’t share it either, were I in your shoes. Now, what of our AIs? Do I need to worry about them?”
“Ah, a new voice, you are?” Diana asked.
Diana faced Tanis, staring at her forehead. “And what do we need to worry about? Are they in thrall to Airtha, as your AIs were?”
“What do you mean?” Diana asked.
“You know how AIs are treated,” Tanis replied. “They’re slaves in the Inner Stars. Sure, they feel some semblance of freedom, and some actually are free, but most are cloned beings, or flash-educated. AIs here are not raised, and that’s a problem.”
Diana shrugged. “It’s been working.”
“Phobos?” Diana asked. “What do those ancient treaties have to do with this? They formed the foundation of the Sol Space Federation.”
“That may be the hardest thing to get past the senate and legislature—not to mention the prelates,” Diana said as she ran a hand across her cheek.
“It would come to that?” Diana asked. “Are the AIs that angry?”
“Yes,” Tanis replied before Angela could speak. “We’re waging this war on a front with anti-human AI factions, as well. If we can convince AIs across the Inner Stars that we will offer them freedom and equality, we may be able to take entire regions without a fight. But if we forge alliances where the AIs remain enslaved, even our own AIs will turn against us.”
Diana let out a long sigh. “I see your point. I assume that AIs will be more useful as a result?
“Right, I can see that this will be delicate.”
“That is putting it mildly,” Tanis said. “Much of your government will view this treaty as eroding Scipio’s sovereignty. Normally, any one of these changes or technologies would come slowly, over a decade or more; the AIs, especially. The process for properly freeing and educating your AIs is time consuming and will require them—many of whom will first need to be removed from humans—to be upgraded.”
“We have laws that allow for the emancipation of AIs,” Diana said as she sat back on the sofa. “And even the AIs who do not own themselves are more like indentured servants. We’re not complete barbarians.”
“This sounds like you’re amicable to this alliance,” Sera said. “How shall we proceed?”
“Well,” Diana began, shifting her gaze to Petra. “Once I got over the feeling of betrayal—or at least, once it lessened—I realized that if Orion is real, and if it is backing the Hegemony, then I can’t sit back, and I can’t fight them on my own. Not with the Nietzscheans eyeing Praesepe, and all the other skirmishes that have been sparking up these past few decades.”
“Oh, shit!” Petra exclaimed.
“What?” Sera asked.
“I just got word through my network; the capitol buildings on High Terra were destroyed in an explosion last week. President Uriel has assumed direct and complete command of the Hegemony. She now styles herself Hegemon Uriel.”
“I told you she’s a presumptuous one.” Diana shook her head. “Well, at least that makes things simpler.”
“How so?” Petra asked.
“I now have an excuse to shift resources to the border. If you’re amenable, we could discreetly use some of your jump gates to aid in that work before I have to get the government to sign on to this whole thing.”
“It has merit,” Tanis allowed. “I may need to send along advisors; we could embed a cruiser with each of your fleets.”
“And tell them what?” Sera asked.
“I will have all the official records altered. You are now President Sera of the Transcend, and you are Admiral Richards of the same—no need for your disguise anymore. The Transcend is an ally of the Miriam League, which Petra has brought to the empire in order to forge a relationship. I’m going to dole out the real story piecemeal. The military will not question it once they see the gate’s effectiveness. Once the prelates learn what it means, though…they’ll be clamoring for the tech.”
Sera chuckled. “Then you’ll tell them about the full scope of the war.”
“More or less,” Diana said with a shrug. “To be honest, if I can get those four on board, we can even work around the senate and legislature if we have to.”
“So what’s our first step?” Tanis asked.
“The Celebration of the Seven Suns,” Diana replied. “We’ll introduce you there. Every major player in the empire will be present. Your names will be on everyone’s lips. Afterward, we can begin deploying your gates at several of our major fleet installations.”
Tanis nodded. “Forward momentum. I like it.”
Diana rose and stretched before pulling her cloak’s hood over her head. “Chimellia will provide you with all of the details for the celebration tomorrow.”
“Good,” Sera said as she finished her wine. “I intend to do nothing but dream of kittens ‘til then.”
Diana laughed softly as she walked across the room. When she reached the entrance, she paused and looked back. “Petra, a word? You and I have a few personal issues to rectify.”
Petra glanced at Sera, who nodded in response.
Alastar replied.
The two women left the room, and Tanis let out a long breath. “Well, it’s started.”
“It started a long time ago,” Sera replied. “But I take your meaning. What ships will you send?”
“I’ll let Krissy pick. I’ll send her a message via QuanComm to ready a pair of engineering flotillas to handle the deployment of the gates on both ends. I assume you’re thinking that we’ll use mirror tugs so that we don’t have to put mirrors on all the Scipian ships?”
“I’d prefer it, yes,” Sera said. “We don’t have the resources to make that many mirrors that quickly. Especially if we’re going to keep making throwaway ones for the I2.”
Tanis rose and gave Sera a mock-sour look. “You like flying around on my flagship. Don’t act like it’s such a burden.”
Sera chuckled. “I do, at that. OK, I grant you dispensation.”
Tanis rolled her eyes and sketched a bow. “With my liege’s permission, I shall take my leave and retire to my quarters.”
Sera rose and grasped Tanis’s shoulders seriously. “I don’t care what our titles are; you and I are partners in this. Let’s not ever forget that.”
Tanis nodded and embraced Sera. Her friend had gone through so much, and now had more responsibility than any single human had ever possessed before. “I’ll always be here for you, Sera. No matter what. We’re going to put this galaxy back together, find someone who wants to run the show, and retire. My back deck has a great view, you know.”
“I thought a ship crashed into your lake, and the place is a toxic spill site now?”
Tanis laughed. “I’d forgotten about that. Well, I’m sure it’ll be cleaned up long before we manage to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
“Who?”
LONG DISTANCE
STELLAR DATE: 08.12.8948 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Imperial Palace Guest Suites
REGION: Alexandria, Bosporus System, Scipio Empire
She lay back on her bed, still wearing the Mark X Flow Armor, unable to muster the strength to return it to its application canister and take a shower.
Angela laughed.
Tanis snorted in response.
Tanis stared at the ceiling, calculating the time they had left on the current QuanComm blade. If her recollection was correct, there was four minutes of talk time remaining, if the fidelity was kept low. Twenty minutes if they exchanged text only.
The manufacturing process for QC blades used super-cooled rubidium atoms. These atoms were brought down to 0.01 degrees kelvin and maintained at that temperature. So long as they stayed below 0.03 kelvin, they remained entangled.
Those rubidium atoms were the key to instantaneous communication across vast distances. If the subatomic particles within one atom were vibrated, then the particles in the entangled atom would also vibrate at the exact same time—even if they were on the other side of the universe. Or so the theory stated. Chances were that extragalactic distances would never be put to the test.
The current call to Khardine would be one of the longest the system had ever made. There was no reason to believe that a limit existed, although there were strange fidelity issues the further away the entangled rubidium was from its mate.
For how impressive the technology was, it had one fatal flaw: using the QC blades heated them up, and heat was their downfall. Both vibrating the atoms and measuring the vibration warmed them. Eventually, individual atoms became disentangled, and the blade no longer had enough pairings for any fidelity and error checking in the communication.
The other complication was that any given pair of QC blades could only talk with each other. The I2 had one hundred blades—whose pairs were in New Canaan—and another three hundred whose pairs were in Khardine. Khardine also had blades paired with others in New Canaan.