by Tobias Roote
Initially, even with his hand pressing against the door they seemed unprepared to respond, but as he continued to work on them the wall slowly dissolved to show him what was happening within.
The cargo hold appeared as normal, except for a lump of what Zeke initially took to be scrap metal. It was, in fact, a bizarre figure hunched up against the bulkhead. It was unmoving and Zeke initially thought it was inactive until he observed the wires coming out of its hand penetrating the wall.
His memory surfaced of the Nubl warrior they had rescued from the wreckage, imprisoning it here in the store until they could pass it back to the scientists. It had seemingly freed itself and was now somehow interfacing with the ship and attacking Pod.
Even as Zeke’s eyes absorbed the picture in front of him, he was already punching out the rest of the door, delivering a swift kick to shatter the last remnants before stepping into the room.
***
Cebrel was oblivious to the human attempting to enter the cargo bay. Totally immersed in the digital world of the ship’s systems he was completely surrounded by the digital entities of the two AIs. Having quickly reached a crucial juncture where the AI was cut off from its own ship, he was now struggling to maintain a hold on his initial progress. He had been confident of being able to break into the crucial navigation and communications controls which he had, until a short while ago, effectively jammed. Now, none of those operational systems were available to him, but he still fought to capture the alien ship full of wonderful technological blueprints, and return to Nubl space a hero to his Queen.
His strength was also his weakness in that although he could read their code, they had the ability to understand his. As they fought, they both learned the others techniques and the fight became more complex. He could send tendrils exploring into the system, but the newly arrived AI was even faster than the on-board AI, a very strong and resourceful enemy.
He thought they were like him, these AIs. The ship entity, which felt similar to communing with his own Queen could read his code as if it was simple unencrypted text, and cut it to pieces. He could see that even the programming structure throughout the ship resembled his hive’s, strange considering they were evidently designed by biological beings. By rights he should have bettered them and taken command already, but they were strong and worked well together. Yes, together they were fighting to contain and turn his attack, but he felt he had a means to destroy them, he just needed....
As the human entered the bay, the Nubl’s built-in proximity sensors alerted him of impending danger, forcing him to re-evaluate his options. He had no choice, the risk of a physical attack would negate any gain on taking over the alien ship. He had failed to make the comms network respond to his desire to send a message to his Queen and he could not fight a battle on three fronts and win. Even a warrior had limits.
Cebrel made the decision to withdraw and attempt a physical takeover of the ship. He had no doubt he could kill any biological being sent against him, they were frail things without physical resilience and could easily be overpowered and despatched.
His frustration translated instantly into purpose as he manoeuvred to deal quickly with the threat. He didn’t bother conducting a strategic retreat from the ship’s systems thereby taking both the AIs by surprise as their adversary simply vanished. He simply withdrew leaving his self-contained moles to eat surreptitiously into their operational sections - with luck they would do his job for him.
His consciousness, upon re-entering his armour-plated body, was just in time to sense the threat from across the cargo bay. He stood and turned to face the human racing toward him at a speed which surprised Cebrel. In the split second it took for the being to leap the distance, Cebrel’s defensive posture was already setting to counter the threat. It would be a short battle of no consequence, he thought. He had never been bested in physical combat and the Nubl were far stronger than any biological vermin. He turned his attention to the need to eliminate this creature, realising as he did so that to kill the thing, he would actually have to touch it. Ugh!
***
Zeke absorbed the fact the Nubl was no longer captive and whilst the alien had no means of leaving the storeroom, it had seemingly managed to interface with the ship via what appeared to be a metallic spider web it had pressed against the wall.
Too late, Zeke considered the foolhardiness of attacking an artificial life form without a weapon, but knowing just how critical the situation was, he needed to distract it long enough for Pod and Arty to regain full control of the automated systems. At least they would be able to deal with the alien without further risk to the ship and its treasure of latest pattern technology.
As he launched himself at the warrior, Zeke’s own speed surprised him. Rarely having been in a situation where he needed to use his superior physical abilities, he had forgotten they were there. Now he realised that he had slept his way through his body’s transition and was completely unaware of its limits. This would not end well, he determined.
The alien turned to defend itself - much faster than Zeke anticipated. Even as he jumped towards it, a wicked serrated spike grew from its armoured carapace. The silvery alien leaped towards him, its fluid movement exuding power and grace, despite the confines of the cargo bay.
Zeke’s proximity and speed of approach meant he couldn’t avoid the vicious tip of the weapon pointing at him. His expectation was that his personal shield would deflect it. Instinctively, he flicked his left arm up in a subconscious effort to reduce the point’s impact, and was relieved when the blade was forced wide. His relief was short-lived. As the alien’s arm drew the sword back, the newly formed serrated edge dragged across his shield, digging into, and penetrating his only defence, turning it a deep red in response to the threat. The shield should have held it without problem, but its lack of resistance against a simple blade did not bode well for Zeke.
Neither had the alien faltered in its attack. It was now standing directly in front of him preparing for a second strike.
Zeke twisted around to bring his right arm into play, and was suddenly faced with a second spike growing from the alien’s other arm which, even now before it had fully formed, was thrusting towards his stomach area. With lightning fast reflexes, Zeke grabbed the retreating spiked arm, bending it back with his right hand, while shifting around so that he was up close to the alien and between the other wicked blade.
With his back to the alien, he grabbed the other spiked arm. Pulling on both, using his unusual strength, he bent forward and yanked downwards using the unbending arms as leverage, throwing the creature over his shoulder. He held on to the arms for a second longer to keep the spike from catching him as the alien sailed over his head.
Zeke was as surprised as the Nubl when it flew across the cargo bay and collided with a stack of metal ingots. He had time to glance at its features, a mixture of metal and synthetics that bonded together in human-like form. It seemed in pain, although its twisted grimace was difficult to read. It quickly recovered and stood up, staggering a little while recovering its footing.
Zeke leaped towards it.
***
As soon as Cebrel realised the human was attacking him without weapons, the warrior believed the battle was won. With his superior armoured body, reflexes and training, to his mind, he was the only possible winner in such a contest. The first thrust of his Shonkeel met with some strange form of deflection, a hard shell formed around his enemy. As he scraped back along it trying to discern its composition he noted the slower speed on the return made headway into the defence screen. This might be a means of overcoming his enemy. He would see what occurred on the next thrust.
Before he could bring himself to extend his arm, the human slipped in-between and close to his body and despite bringing his second Shonkeel to bear, the fighting human grabbed both of his arms and without realising quite how the human did it, Cebrel was suddenly flying through the air.
He felt the impact as he landed hard against the
metal stacked against the wall. Something rattled inside his plating, jogged loose by the landing. He sensed internal damage to his body, the outer casing around his chest and side was buckled and some of the black and clear crystals on his arm had shattered from taking the worst of the impact. No matter, they were largely decorative anyway. His body set about repairing the internal parts that needed attending to, while his mind absorbed the information that this biological had apparent strength beyond that which its size, or frame suggested was possible.
Cebrel took note of the fact that the human’s defences had posed a problem for his Shonkeel. Equally good for defence and offence, they were the preferred weapon of every Nubl warrior. They needed no other against their own, or others. He had seen the reddening of the human’s defence screen and had surmised that using both Shonkeel at the same time and attacking slower, might penetrate and defeat this abomination, leaving him clear to take the ship and head for his hive.
Only a second or so had passed before he rose, brandishing his spikes, the internal repairs under way causing him to stagger momentarily. The Shonkeel were formidable weapons and he had tasted the electronic signature of the creature’s defence. It was amazing that they had such advanced technology. He could use technology like that, he thought.
He added a sonic vibration to the serrated edges of his weapons, knowing that this would aid penetration of the shield. He prepared to finish the duel.
***
Zeke saw the alien’s spikes rise in a defensive posture as it recovered. He really should have paid more attention to updating his combat skills, but had felt the advent of personal shields and moving society forward with protective Jenari technology had made his superior abilities largely unnecessary. Instead, he had allowed them to remain dormant and now, all he had to rely on was his rusty, but ingrained military training.
As he came within range of the spikes, he instinctively dropped in a tight curl and rolled, coming up inside the alien’s defence. Grabbing a metal ingot from the broken stack, he rammed it with all of his enhanced strength, thrusting upward until it connected with the alien’s lower body, denting it and sending it up into the air and backwards onto the pallet again.
Zeke rose up, his reaction speed now more than a match for the alien’s, and grabbing one of its metal bladed limbs, felt an agonising vibration up his arm, as some kind of sonic interference clashed with his shield. Despite the failing shield and the intensity, he gritted his teeth and held on while he smashed across the other arm with the metal ingot.
His Alacite-enhanced strength combined with the solid mass of the ingot smashed through metal and synthetic cartilage. The alien’s inner, more vulnerable part of its limb, flattened under the weight of it. The impact left the spike dangling from a now almost useless appendage. Coloured liquids leaked and spurted from the broken joint indicating damage to the limb was severe. However, Zeke wasn’t getting it all his own way.
As another strong electronic shock discharged through his arm via the limb he was holding, it forced him to release his grip. At the same time, the alien jumped up in a complex manoeuvre and Zeke’s body was encompassed by its metal legs as the unfamiliar sonic vibration fully overcame his shield. The mass around his waist intentionally dragged him off balance and began crushing the life out of him.
Now he was held fast by the alien. His waist was the only place his enhanced bone structure was absent and only increased muscular strength and the leathery shielding around his vital organs protected him from severe injury. The pressure was insanely painful as Zeke attempted to break the vice-like grip, but the alien pulled back its good arm and speared him in the right shoulder with the tip of the serrated spike. Although Zeke had a higher than human pain threshold, he still felt intense burning agony as the vibrating metal spike drilled into him. As it touched bone, the sonic vibration sent waves of agony throughout his body resonating with the Alacite and causing him to thrash in agony as if having a seizure. His mind was gripped in waves of pain while he clung to the alien’s body unable to fight back. He knew if he didn’t do something he would have seconds to live. He couldn’t see anything, the sensation of his whole skeleton was vibrating to the resonance of the sonic weapon jarring every inch of him.
He felt the serrating ripple as the blade began to cut downwards towards his heart and lungs. Zeke felt the sawing sensation against his reinforced ribcage which was slowing down the aliens effort to cut him up. The pain was now excruciating, his vision blurred and tunnelled inwards as the combined electronic shocks and agony of the sawing had an accumulative effect on his body and mind.
As he felt himself losing consciousness, his left hand strayed to the serrated edge of the broken spike that was now hanging useless from the alien’s shoulder. Fighting to stay conscious, Zeke felt along the weapon’s blade until he got to the broken section, then using the remainder of his strength of will, tore the spike from the alien’s shoulder.
Having little time now, the darkness growing around him as his body tried to cope with the blade encroaching on his vitals, he physically pushed himself further onto the spear in his shoulder to impede the cutting motion, and to bring him nearer to the alien’s torso. Gathering the last of his enhanced strength and using the small amount of leverage he could muster from his difficult position, Zeke, screaming with agony and with only seconds left to defend himself, drove the alien’s own spike into its already damaged chest cavity.
The resultant electric shock scorched his whole arm adding to the damage his body was having to endure. Sparks and smoke emerged from the edges of the hole he had created while the spike was now firmly lodged in the thing’s chest. Zeke had no strength to remove it to stab it again, but it didn’t seem to matter. He, the alien, or both of them, were finished.
Zeke hadn’t realized that the Nubl brain was centred in its chest but the effect was immediate. The alien collapsed backward, smoke curling from its torso, taking Zeke with it.
The vice-like grip of the alien’s legs released, the vibration stopped and the agony from the sonics ebbed. Zeke managed to pull himself off the end of the bloody spike; the pain level taking him back to the days before he had been rescued by Zirkos when he would feel this level of agony every day. His resistance to the high level of pain must have remained.
He thought he could hear Pod calling him as the ever increasing waves of darkness washed over him. Unable to understand what the AI was saying, Zeke was equally incapable of answering. As the loss of blood coupled with the release from the enemy’s vice-like grip made him light-headed, he finally drifted, letting the darkness carry him away.
- 10 -
Infiltrated
Pod was daydreaming when the Nubl warrior, undetected, gained access to the ship’s systems. As there was little to do when the ship was orbiting Alpha Station, the AI was free to dwell deeply on human issues that perplexed her. She was so deeply engrossed, in fact, that she didn’t notice the subtle shifts in the flow of data as the alien began laying down its tenuous strings of code. The AI’s security algorithms did niggle in the background as it noted the new code, but didn’t register it as a potential threat. As a result, the alien was able to move further up the hierarchical command structure without any reaction from Pod, while its code seeped into the main control sections of her ship. At this point it triggered system warnings. Security programs flared into a full alarm state as the harmless looking code took on the role of something more malign.
Just as it appeared that the alien might gain uncontested control of major access points, Pod’s security flashed into action, burning and searing the alien code away from the ship’s controls. However, there was too much of the code present to eradicate it in time to halt a series of manoeuvres that had already been fed into the drive and navigation systems, which resulted in the drives erupting into life launching the ship on a trajectory that would take it away from Earth. Because of the advanced nature of Pod’s upgrades to the ship’s systems, it hurtled into the outer system faster
than any other vessel the SCN had developed. It was unmatched and the few who noted its passing, were already familiar with the ship’s constant testing by Pod and Zeke.
But, for Pod and the alien ensconced in the ship’s systems, it became a coding attack carried out in complete silence; no clashing of swords, or pulsing rounds of plasma fire, just each side throwing mighty ‘code bombs’ at the other in an effort to pursue or resist the onslaught.
The communication channels could not be used to call for assistance, or to put the ship on alert, because those channels were fed through the sensitive areas of the ship. Pod couldn’t afford to accidentally let the intruder in, or ride piggyback into those crucial areas on the back of any authorised traffic. Instead, she sealed off all data transmissions - in and out - leaving herself and the control room in total isolation, but crucially keeping the rest of the ship safe from the intruder. Pod then began pushing the attacker into retreat while attempting to identify the nature and origin of the threat. The AI knew how to combat such attacks, but this code was proving very sophisticated and troublesome - she wondered how, and more importantly - where it had come from.
Then, as if the intruder was preoccupied with fighting something else, Pod began to gain ground in clearing the intruder from her systems. Not enough to bring the ship under her control, but enough to lock it down so the intruder wouldn’t be able to change course, or access the navigation or drive controls. Unfortunately, so intent was she on doing battle with her enemy that she didn’t check the direction of the ship when she locked them so had no realisation of the new danger she had placed them in.
Still cut off from the rest of the ship, she was unaware that Zeke had woken, or that Arty had accessed the ship via his own intimate knowledge of the system’s back doors. Manual access points had been incorporated into the ship systems at a time when AIs were still an unknown quantity. As time and the development of more sophisticated systems had evolved, these back doors had fallen into disuse, but still existed in code segments that were bypassed, but still effective. For Arty they remained his secret hobby and he hunted them down everywhere. Keeping the information against the day it might be needed - like today.