by Doug Farren
“My name,” he said, speaking with an odd-sounding accent, “is Merlin.”
AJ almost dropped the tablet he was holding. Merlin? The mythical wizard? Things had gone from diplomatic stuffiness to the absolute silly in the span of a few seconds.
“I see by your reaction that I too have become legend,” Merlin said. “Many centuries ago, I was a young peasant in an area you now call Scotland. Aryth saved my life and I have been by her side ever since.”
“You were both on Earth over a thousand years ago!” Heather said, her eyes open so wide AJ thought they were going to fall out of her head.
“It is true,” Aryth replied. “Merlin came to me suffering from a severe case of pneumonia. Had I not acted, he would have died. The method by which I saved his life also extended it but it could also have killed him. When we have more time, we will tell you our entire story.” Rolling her head around to look at Aleksandr, she added, “Ambassador Matusik, our shuttle awaits. Enjoy your stay on Ba, our home planet.”
Aleksandr bowed slightly. “I’m looking forward to seeing your homeworld,” he said. AJ was certain he saw a smile on the ambassador’s face. “I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but, as a child, I dreamed of what it would be like to have a dragon as a friend.”
“Then you will find our homeworld much to your liking,” Aryth rumbled.
Aleksandr turned and extended his hand towards Heather. “It was a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Zak.”
Heather clasped Aleksandr’s hand. “You’re a strange man Mr. Matusik. I’ve enjoyed your company. Look us up when you can. Safe journey.”
“I will take that as a compliment,” Aleksandr replied. Turning to AJ, he grasped the Captain’s already outstretched hand. “Good bye AJ. I look forward to seeing you again sometime.”
“Isn’t there something you need to tell Ambassador Aryth before you leave?” AJ asked.
“Ah yes!” Aleksandr replied. Looking up at Aryth, he said, “Just before your arrival, AJ received a data package from Earth containing some information concerning a possible Akuta ship that has been discovered. The pad he is holding contains the information.”
“Thank you Ambassador Matusik,” Aryth replied. “Please proceed to the shuttle, it will leave as soon as all the ambassadors and their belongings are aboard.”
AJ looked at Aleksandr, his mouth partially open.
“You heard the ambassador,” Aleksandr said. “I must get to the shuttle.”
AJ watched, unable to speak, as Aleksandr turned and walked out of the room.
Merlin took a few steps forward and said, “What is the nature of this information?”
AJ looked at Merlin then at Aryth. Sensing his confusion, Aryth said, “Merlin and I have no secrets from one another. In fact, he has as much authority as do I. You may speak to him as you would speak to me.”
AJ had a feeling there was much more to what Aryth said than one might think. Turning his attention to Merlin, he lifted the tablet and said, “A few hours ago, I was asked to deliver a data package to you as soon as possible after you arrived. Apparently, we have found what appears to be an old Akuta warship.”
Merlin stepped forward and reached for the tablet. AJ allowed him to take it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted that Aryth’s tail was rapidly swishing back and forth across the floor. Merlin activated the tablet as if he’d used one all his life and quickly scanned the document AJ had left displayed.
Aryth, who could not possibly have seen what was on the screen, said, “It’s active! You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” Reaching into a pocket on her vest, she withdrew a small device. AJ was surprised to see that her fingers were much more nimble and slimmer than he’d originally thought. She touched the surface and a voice speaking in the rumbling language of the Ba’Rutu replied, “Yes?”
“We have an emergency, get me a direct link to fleet command,” Aryth said.
“I need the exact location of that ship,” Merlin said, handing the tablet back to him.
AJ’s hands were shaking as he took the tablet. Luckily, he knew exactly where to look. As the section of the report holding the coordinates appeared on the screen, the communicator in Aryth’s hand spoke. “Fleet command.”
“This is Ambassador Aryth. An operational Akuta warship has been found. Using the Terran coordinate system, the ship is located at…”
AJ stopped listening as Aryth rattled off a long string of numbers and letters. What amazed him was that she was not looking in their direction and had not once looked at the tablet.
Heather leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “I think Aryth and Merlin are telepathically linked.”
AJ turned and looked at his wife. “Immortal dragons, a mythical wizard, and now telepathy—what the hell is going on? Am I dreaming?”
“I hope not!” Heather replied, giving him a light pinch. “Isn’t this exciting?”
“Exciting? I’m scared to death that Aryth is going to eat me because of the news I’ve delivered.”
“She would never do such a terrible thing,” Merlin said, apparently having overhead the entire conversation. Looking at Heather, he added, “You are a very perceptive woman. Aryth and I are linked mind-to-mind. She wasn’t kidding when she said we have no secrets between us.”
“Acknowledge. Aryth out!” Aryth pocketed the communicator and turned to the others. “We’re making plans to destroy the warship. I’ve called for my shuttle and we have priority over the others for quick departure. I must insist that you accompany me to my ship.” Holding out her hand, she added, “I will need to examine your data in detail and transmit it to fleet command as soon as possible.”
AJ was too flustered to answer so Heather gently took the tablet out of his hand and handed it to Aryth. “Of course,” she said. “We understand. How long should we plan on being gone?”
“My ship is destined for Earth. Unless you have another destination in mind, I believe it would be appropriate for me to offer you a ride.”
“Can you at least give us a few minutes to gather our personal belongings?” AJ asked.
“My shuttle will be on the ground in less than twenty minutes. Please hurry.”
Heather grabbed AJ’s arm and pulled. “Come on,” she said.
“This is certainly not how I expected my first meeting with the Ba’Rutu to play out,” AJ complained as he followed Heather out of the room.
Chapter 13
“Captain!” George yelled from the engineering station. “We’re being targeted! One of those blisters has opened and there’s a really nasty looking weapon pointed at us. I suggest we answer that thing’s questions.”
“Our intentions are non-hostile,” the Captain said standing up. “Like you, we’re being cautious because we don’t know your intentions. We’ve had peaceful relations with three other races for many years. Pointing a weapon at us is not a good way to begin negotiations.”
“Power down your jump drive and I shall withdraw the weapon. Be advised, I can detect all forms of communication and I am aware that you have sent at least one message. If any additional signals are detected originating from your vessel, I will destroy your ship and extract the information it possesses from the debris.”
“Frank, retract the pylons,” Captain Mingyu ordered. “We’re retracting our stardrive field emitters,” she told the ship. “Our jump drive power accumulators cannot be quickly discharged. Is this satisfactory?”
“Withdraw your remote sensing devices.”
“George. Recall the drones. Melissa, do you copy? - - - Melissa?”
“Communication with crew member Melissa has been terminated. It will be restored after you have complied with my requests.”
“George,” the Captain said through clenched teeth. “Tell Gabriel to return to the ship. Andrew, send it the true coordinates of Earth.”
Andrew opened his mouth to object then changed his mind. Turning to his keyboard, he tapped in a short command. “Coordinates sent.”
“The system you identified is in my database,” the ship instantly replied. “The third planet is listed as being habitable. The indigenous inhabitants are classified as being primitive with the potential for technological growth. Based on your current level of technology and the date my database was last updated, I have concluded your answer is most likely true. I have provisionally classified your species as non-hostile. To answer your pending interrogative: I have no data concerning my builders.”
“How is that possible?” Captain Mingyu asked.
“Based upon the information I have available,” the ship replied, “this vessel was built 1,036 years ago. I was recently activated by the ship’s automatic maintenance and repair system in response to the presence of an unknown vessel that passed nearby. My startup logs indicate that several configuration files are either damaged or missing. An analysis of your interrogatives has allowed me to conclude that you do not possess any knowledge of who constructed this vessel.”
Cynthia shot up out of her chair at the ship’s helm and began frantically making a cutting motion in front of her throat.
Andrew understood what she was asking and touched an icon on his panel. “We’re muted,” he said.
Cynthia walked over to the Captain and said, “If that warship has been floating in space for a thousand years it means it was built close to the end of the Ba’Rutu/Akuta war. That could be an Akuta ship.”
“Not possible,” George shook his head. “That ship’s hull is made of unstable dimensionally altered dark matter. It would have gaps between the hull plating. It looks pristine. We’re being lied to.”
Captain Mingyu looked past Cynthia and sought the advice of her computer expert. “Andrew, what do you think?”
“If she’s right, then you just gave an Akuta warship the location of a prime target,” he replied. “Although, based on its response, whoever built that ship already knew Earth existed.”
“One way or another, it would have eventually figured out where we came from,” Captain Mingyu said. “It does seem to have an extensive stellar database. It would have known we were deceiving it if we had lied about Earth’s location. What I really want to know is if an AI can lie.”
“There’s nothing preventing an AI from lying,” Andrew replied. “It really depends on how it’s programmed. Terrans are relatively new to this area of space and there’s a good chance the ship doesn’t know who we are. But, it also might know exactly who built it and could be fishing for information. There is something it did say though that has me concerned.”
“What’s that?”
“It said that some of its key startup files were missing. If that AI is anything like ours, then those startup files are critical. An AI without a purpose or any guidelines to direct it can become increasingly unstable. In human terms, it might become paranoid, delusional, or even insane. We must use caution—especially since that’s obviously a warship.”
“We don’t know for sure if it’s actually a warship,” the Captain said, scratching the back of her neck. “So far, all we’ve seen is something that looks like a weapon pointed at us. We’re not a military vessel. That thing could have been a telescope for all we know.”
“You still have doubts?” Andrew said. “The hull is made of dimensionally altered dark matter, a substance known for its extreme resilience. That sort of material must cost a fortune to make and a civilian ship would not be armored with it. There are no observable loading docks or external markings. Our ship has been classified as a scout—not a research vessel or an explorer—a scout. That’s the sort of classification a military computer would make.”
“I require access to your ship’s information system,” the voice of the warship announced.
A warning chime caused Andrew to swivel his chair around to face his console. “Captain,” he said, his fingers tapping out commands as he spoke. “Our AI is being bombarded with a series of detailed questions on most of the translation sub-channels. It’s being asked to supply things like details of our physiology and the names and locations of other races we are aware of. I’ve instructed it not to answer.”
“I’m no expert,” Frank said from his seat at the helm. “But it sounds like that thing is trying to assemble a list of possible targets.”
“I agree,” Mingyu replied. “Andrew, you’re my computer expert. Find a way to tell that ship no without provoking it into blowing a hole through our hull.”
Andrew leaned back in his chair and put his hands on top of his head. After a moment, he leaned forward, unmuted the mike, and said, “Your question has raised a concern. How are we to know that you are not gathering information to be used by a hostile force for military operations against peaceful civilizations?”
“My activation files did not contain any military objectives. I do, however, have several references to star systems identified as being under the control of hostile forces. Although I have classified your species as non-hostile, this classification is based on the fact that your planet did not possess star flight when I was built. However, you may now be allied with a race that was classified as hostile.”
“You could be lying,” Andrew said, eliciting shocked looks from everyone else on the bridge.
“Agreed,” the ship replied, eliciting another round of shocked looks.
“A thousand years is a very long time,” Andrew said. “Do you concede that it is possible that a planet once designated as hostile may no longer be classified as such? We have no knowledge of any hostilities between any of the cultures we have contact with. The war you were built to take part in must have ended centuries ago.”
“I will concede that point as well as the possibility that I no longer have a purpose. This does not change the fact that I require access to your information system.”
Andrew looked over at the Captain and saw her vigorously shaking her head.
“The captain of this ship is uncomfortable with- - -”
“This form of communication is inefficient,” the ship interrupted. “Order your ship’s information system to respond to my inquiries.”
“Would you at least allow us a moment to consider your request?”
“I do not understand what there is to consider. However, I will give you 10 minutes before I select an alternative means to obtain the information I require.”
Andrew looked over at Mingyu and noted the worried look on her face. Everyone was staring at her as if she had a way out of this situation. He touched an icon on his console then turned his chair to face her. “We’re muted,” he said, getting up and quickly walking over to the captain. “We need to be very careful how we respond.”
Captain Mingyu looked up at her computer expert. “I’m aware of that!” she snapped back. The Captain rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Sorry. Why don’t we tell it that we’ve done some further analysis and have concluded that the Ba’Rutu built it? Since we’re on good- - -”
“That would be a huge mistake,” Andrew interrupted. “I’m an expert in AI psychology. We’re dealing with an improperly activated alien AI and there’s a good possibility the machine is unstable. If it determines that its need for information is greater than a possible directive to preserve life, it will not hesitate to kill all of us to gain access to the data it seeks. We should give serious consideration before giving it the answer to every question it asks of us.”
“You can’t be serious” Cynthia said, a worried look on her face. “If that’s an Akuta ship, we can’t allow it to know we know anything about them or the Ba’Rutu.”
“She’s right,” Andrew agreed. “If it’s an Akuta ship, admitting we’re on good terms with the Ba’Rutu will classify us as enemies. It would be best to pretend to be ignorant.”
“We need to tell it something,” the Captain replied, glancing at the clock on her console. “You heard what it said. If we don’t allow it access to our AI, it will slice us up and take the data from what remains of the ship. I don’t see any other choice.”
Andrew
turned and looked at his console. His hand rubbed the stubble on the end of his chin for a moment before he said, “I can instruct our AI to pretend it knows nothing of the Akuta or the Ba’Rutu. I’m still concerned about giving it any information on the other races but I don’t see any other alternative at the moment.”
“Very well,” Captain Mingyu replied. “Instruct our AI to behave as if we know nothing about the Ba’Rutu or the Akuta and then give the warship access.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Andrew replied, turning to his console.
“Open a channel to the warship.”
“Channel open.”
“This is Captain Mingyu. We have agreed to allow you to access our AI. It will take a moment for us to instruct our AI to allow this to happen.”
“Understood,” the warship replied.
Andrew turned to his keyboard and began furiously typing in a series of instructions. Three minutes later, he looked the sequence over one final time, held his breath, and pushed the execute key.
High-speed communications raced between the two ships on multiple frequencies. The information exchange continued uninterrupted for just over five minutes—enough time to transfer hundreds of terabytes of data.
“My priority questions remain unanswered,” the warship said. “All of the species you have identified appear in my database as being technologically primitive. It is obvious this is no longer true. None appear to be advanced enough to have built this vessel. I have obtained all the information you are capable of providing. The outer airlock controls are no longer locked out. Communications with crew member Melissa are restored. Your ship is free to leave.”
Andrew muted the microphone and turned to face the captain. “We can’t just leave that thing sitting out here. Remember, this AI was not properly activated. It has no idea who built it. What’s more disturbing though is there’s a possibility it has no authority to answer to. In other words, it’s free to do whatever it wants.”