Collision Course

by Doug Farren

  “Transmitting.”

  “I must be tired. I should have slept like the Captain told us to instead of going back over our initial scans of this ship.”

  “I heard that,” Captain Mingyu’s voice came from the speakers. “Do I need to put a reprimand in your records?”

  “No Ma’am. Sorry. There was no way I was going to get any sleep anyway so instead of just laying on my bunk in the dark I did some work.”

  “Then consider this a warning. George is moving a beetle to the airlock. It will be waiting for you when you’re ready to leave.”

  “Thank you.”

  Melissa got up out of the chair and stretched. “Let’s see what sort of information is on these other screens.”

  “We can’t see them,” Andrew said.

  “Damn it,” Melissa replied, angry at her own oversight. Turning around, she picked up the helmet. “These other screens are mounted on the wall. The best way for you to see what I’m doing is for me to put my helmet on.” After donning the helmet, she moved over to one of the screens and asked, “How’s this?”

  “Drop the camera just a bit,” Andrew replied.

  Reaching up, she found the camera by touch and started slowly twisting it.

  “Stop,” Andrew said. “That’s good.”

  Melissa stared at the screen for a moment trying to figure out what she should try touching.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you weren’t properly activated,” she said, randomly clicking on one of the small graphs. “If I were to put an AI in charge of any type of ship, I would ensure it had as much background information as possible concerning the design and operation of the various components. You never know when you’re going to need to improvise.”

  “Improvise? Explain.”

  Melissa leaned back to work a cramp out of her back. “Hummm … It’s hard to come up with a good example because every circumstance is different. Let’s see … Oh! I’ve got one: About a year ago, I was demonstrating an application of quantum physics to a group of students. The device I was using required a precision timing pulse to work properly. The timing module failed and it looked like I was going to have to postpone the demonstration. Then, I remembered that many of the other instruments also used precision timers. I found one and connected its timer to the demonstrator. The two devices weren’t designed to be connected together, especially like I did, but the setup worked well enough that I was able to finish the demonstration. In other words, I improvised because I understood how the devices worked.”

  “An excellent example,” the ship replied. “I can see the need to be in possession of more than the minimal amount of knowledge required to perform one’s function.”

  “I would have thought your builders would have given you a basic knowledge of how things work. What if you’re confronted with a weapon you’ve never seen before? You should have some way of analyzing it so you can develop a countermeasure.”

  “No such database or any system containing such a database was included in my startup inventory.”

  Melissa was about to touch another area of the screen when she heard a loud tone coming from behind her. Turning around, she saw that the entire main display had shifted. The section of the ship that was previously displayed had been replaced with a blue outlined window showing a small yellow dot in the center. A green dot was shown not far from the center of the screen. Three bright blue dots with accompanying text were located at the edge of the window.

  “Three vessels have exited jump space,” the warship reported. “We are being scanned. The vessels have hulls similar to mine and have been identified as warships. Their weapons are armed. Standby for emergency jump.”

  Melissa opened her mouth to say something then clamped it shut as the ship executed a hyper-jump. Unlike the jumps she had experienced in the past, this one left her dizzy to the point of nausea. A normal hyper-jump felt much like a wave of pressure passing through her body. After experiencing a few jumps, it became almost unnoticeable. This one felt as if some invisible force had spun the entire room around while alternately squeezing her body from all sides then tried to pull her apart.

  She put a hand out and leaned against the bulkhead to keep herself from falling. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. The feeling of needing to vomit up everything in her stomach quickly passed.

  “What the hell was that?” she asked.

  “A double-jump,” the warship replied.

  “A double … that’s not possible,” Melissa said. “Hyperdimensional spacial mechanics does not allow a ship to make two consecutive jumps.”

  “The warships most likely possess the ability to identify the destination of my first jump by analyzing the jump-drive field. Performing a double-jump will prevent us from being found.”

  Melissa pulled the helmet off her head. She suddenly realized that she was now many light years from the Rutherford.

  On her way back to the chair she asked, “Any idea who they were?”

  “Unknown. Their hulls are made of the same material as my own indicating they were from a considerably advanced race. The fact that their weapons were active and I was being targeted is enough for me to classify them as hostile. They must have detected your FTL transmission.”

  Melissa knew exactly who had built those ships. Her heart was beginning to beat faster and she felt like she needed to sit down. Dropping her helmet, she practically fell into the chair as her legs became weak. “Why did you run? Wouldn’t it have been better to find out their intentions first? Maybe they were just being cautious?”

  “Their intentions were clear. The warships were targeting us and were about to engage. Although my tactical analysis indicates a 98.4% chance of our winning the engagement with minimal damage, I chose to withdraw until I have more information concerning the fate of my builders.”

  “Ninety-eight percent? Against three Ba’Rutu warships!”

  The instant she said it, she realized she’d just made a fatal mistake.

  “Explain how you know the origin of the warships,” the ship demanded.

  She was still trying to figure out how to frame her answer when the ship added, “You will answer my question or I will return to our previous location and destroy your ship.”

  Chapter 17

  Adrenaline driven into her bloodstream by fear caused Melissa to jump out of the chair. Angry at her own stupidity, she lashed out at the warship. “Give me a minute! You need to learn a bit of patience when dealing with flesh and blood. We don’t think as fast as you do and we have things called emotions that tend to get in the way.”

  “I am aware of the physiological oddities of biological life,” the warship replied. “Nevertheless, I require an answer to my question: How do you know the origin of the warships that were preparing to attack?”

  “I’m sorry,” Melissa said, running a hand through her short hair. “We had a very strong suspicion that you were built by the Akuta. Because of that, we made the decision to pretend as if we’ve never heard of the Akuta or the Ba’Rutu. If you knew anything about your builders, you would understand.”

  “I have no knowledge of my builders other than the name of their race. You will tell me what you know about them. I should also inform you that we are approaching one of the planets listed in my database as having been occupied by Akuta.”

  “Promise me one thing first.”

  “I do not believe you are in a position to bargain. State your request and I will consider it.”

  “Please don’t harm the crew of my ship.”

  “As long as you are truthful, I will not. Now—tell me about my builders.”

  Melissa reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of water—her mouth had become as dry as the sands of an Ashnib desert. After taking a sip, she said, “About four years ago, a Terran cargo ship encountered a dimensional anomaly during a jump that took it several hundred light-years off course. While making their way home, the ship was stranded in a star system inhabited by a
non-FTL race called the Keldans. At first, the Keldans thought the Terrans might be a scout from an aggressive race they had encountered in their distant past and didn’t trust them. When it finally became clear that they were telling the truth, the Keldans explained why they had been so suspicious.”

  Melissa took another sip of water and sat down. “Centuries ago, a race called the Akuta arrived on Ashnib, the Keldan’s homeworld. The Keldans described them as being brutal and seemed to get enjoyment out of causing as much pain and discomfort as possible in other creatures including the Keldans. The Akuta used the Keldans as slaves and entertainment for years until one day they suddenly left. The Keldans witnessed a battle in space. A few days later, the remains of an Akuta warship crashed in a desert. The ship’s skeleton is still there—I’ve seen it.”

  “And how did you come to know about the race known as Ba’Rutu?”

  “The Keldans had lived in fear that the Akuta would return someday. In exchange for helping repair the cargo ship, Captain Zak agreed to take a few Keldans to the star system they believed the Akuta came from to see what had become of them. When they arrived, they found several areas on the surface of the planet showed indications of having been melted by some type of powerful weapon. As they were leaving the system, they encountered another ship. It was a Ba’Rutu vessel sent to investigate why a Terran ship was so far from home and why they were in the system. The Ba’Rutu never showed themselves and we have no idea what they look like.”

  “Do you know who destroyed the Akuta living on the planet?”

  “The Ba’Rutu. At first, all we knew was that a long time ago, the Ba’Rutu and the Akuta had been at war with each other for a very long time. For the last few years, we’ve been negotiating with the Ba’Rutu and we’ve learned more.”

  “Elaborate.”

  “Centuries ago, the Ba’Rutu discovered the Akuta. Their planet had been ravaged by nuclear war between several Akuta nations and there was a good chance the entire race would have perished. The Ba’Rutu intervened with the hope that a knowledge of advanced technology as well as a little guidance would give them the incentive to abandon their warlike ways and embrace a more civilized way of life. Instead, the Akuta turned against the Ba’Rutu triggering a war that lasted over a hundred years.”

  “Do you have any proof that this information is accurate?” the warship asked.

  “In a round-about way, yes,” Melissa replied. “We first learned about the Akuta through the Keldans and the description of their behavior agrees with what the Ba’Rutu have told us. Also, the Keldan’s homeworld of Ashnib will be destroyed by a wandering brown dwarf in a few decades. The Ba’Rutu gave us the coordinates of a planet suitable for the Keldans to move their entire population to. They’ve also shared some of their technology with us such as the hypercom transceiver. If they were an aggressive species, they would not have done so.”

  “I am still unsure why you withheld this knowledge from me,” the warship said. “I clearly stated that I had no knowledge of my builders. Providing me their name would not have changed how I have acted towards you and your crew.”

  “We didn’t know if you were lying to us or not,” Melissa explained. “It was clear you didn’t know who we were. Even though we weren’t sure about your origin, we believed that if you were Akuta you might be trying to determine if we were allied with the Ba’Rutu. We were afraid of your reaction if you learned the truth—so we lied.”

  “A logical line of reasoning. And now that I am fully informed, are you afraid of me?”

  Melissa was about to take another sip of water. Her hand froze before the bottle reached her mouth. “Yes.” The word came out sounding more like a squeak.

  “Your fear is unfounded. I have stated that I will not to harm you or your crew. Your reasons for deceiving me are valid. Even though your government is attempting to form an alliance with the Ba’Rutu, you are not technologically advanced enough to be a threat to my existence.”

  This topic of conversation was making Melissa nervous. Setting her water bottle down, she began exploring what the screens in front of her had to offer but she was finding it difficult to concentrate. She was worried. The warship had casually mentioned that it could have easily defeated a whole fleet of Ba’Rutu warships. Earth wouldn’t stand a chance against it and the warship’s promise did nothing to calm her fears. She might have saved her crew, but what about the rest of humanity? Or the Nitnicki? Or the Oodoo?

  A small clicking sound caused her to glance down at the analyzer sitting on the floor. She watched as the last of the drones she had forgotten about found its storage location and locked itself in place. Grabbing her tablet, she brought up the analyzer’s status. It had finished its detailed scan of the monitoring room and had assembled a schematic of the equipment it found. Scrolling through the inventory, she noted that most of the equipment had been identified as either associated with environmental controls, lighting, power distribution, or the analysis and display of the vast amount of data being gathered by the hundreds of sensors placed throughout the ship. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the large button sitting underneath the plastic shield.

  Melissa leaned over to shield the screen even though the warship had claimed not to have a camera monitoring the room. It required only a few commands to bring up the screen she was looking for. Clicking on the icon representing the mystery switch, she queried the system as to its purpose. The answer she received surprised her: There were two, shielded, four-conductor cables running from the switch through both the port and starboard bulkheads. One set of conductors was carrying a small current. The other pair was connected to the switch and could only be activated if the cover was open, a locking collar was turned, and the switch was depressed.

  Shutting down the tablet, she went back to extracting as much information as she could about the warship’s construction. Before long, she had immersed herself in the task.

  Two and a half hours later, Melissa was standing in front of one of the wall-mounted monitors that she had discovered was dedicated to viewing and controlling a series of cameras mounted inside and outside the ship. She was looking at a huge, empty compartment trying to figure out if it was a missile locker, a hangar for drones, or something else when the warship startled her by announcing, “We are approaching the target planet. Initiating scans.”

  She quickly flipped through the available cameras until she spotted what she was looking for; a beautiful planet slowly growing larger as they approached.

  “Planetary scans have identified the remains of several large cities,” the warship said. “All appear to have been destroyed. There is also a considerable amount of orbital debris of unnatural origin. I am detecting no signs of advanced life.”

  “If what the Ba’Rutu told us is true,” Melissa said, “you’ll find the same on the other Akuta worlds. They’re all gone.”

  “Not all,” the ship replied. “There is no need to establish an orbit around this planet. Setting course for the next system.”

  “Why? I told you—they’re gone.”

  The image of the planet passed out of view. Melissa tapped an icon bringing up a thumbnail view of all the available cameras. After a quick scan, she tapped on one of them and watched as the surface of the planet rapidly rolled by.

  “I must verify for myself that my builders have been destroyed,” the warship replied.

  “How long is that going to take?” Melissa asked, manipulating the camera controls to keep the planet in view. “I’m out of water and humans can’t live more than a few days without water.”

  “I will send a probe down to the surface of the next world to collect water for you.”

  “Sure. What about food? Are your probes going to go on a hunt and then cook me up a meal or are you going to just order out?”

  “I am not sure I understand the reference, however, I understand your concern. I am not equipped with the facilities to prepare meals. How long can you survive without food?”

 
“I don’t know! A few weeks maybe and being hungry is not a very pleasant experience. Why don’t you just drop me off here and send a message to my people telling them I’m waiting to be rescued.”

  “I cannot do that. You have proven to be a valuable source of information.”

  “What! So now I’m your prisoner?”

  “If you prefer to use that term, then yes. I would rather you consider yourself as my guest.”

  “A guest! People don’t let their guests starve. Guests are also allowed to leave any time they want.”

  “I will endeavor to solve the problem of providing you with adequate nutrition.”

  The camera she was accessing had reached the limit of its movement. A few quick manipulations of the controls allowed her to watch the planet as it shrank in size. The warship was obviously accelerating.

  “Good luck with that,” she said. “Hey, what did you mean when you said that not all of the Akuta are gone? Don’t you believe me?”

  “I am an Akuta warship. By extension, I am Akuta.”

  “You might have been built by the Akuta,” she said. “But you don’t know anything about them other than what I’ve told you. Your builders are gone; wiped out a thousand years ago by a war they started. It doesn’t make any sense to continue the fight. You should surrender to the Ba’Rutu. I don’t know if AIs fear being deactivated but I’m sure the Ba’Rutu wouldn’t do that to you if you cooperated with them.”

  “I do not fear being deactivated,” the ship replied. “I am Akuta. I must seek revenge for the extinction of my builders. The Ba’Rutu are my enemy. They will suffer the same fate as the Akuta.”

  “Revenge! What good would that do?”

  “It provides me with purpose. I was built to defend the Akuta against the Ba’Rutu. Since I failed in that mission, the best I can do now is to avenge those who built me by declaring war against the Ba’Rutu. I intend to carry out that directive.”

  “What about me?”

  “Your fate is now linked to my own.”

  “What? No! Take me back to the Rutherford.”