Earthman Jack vs. The Secret Army (Earthman Jack Space Saga Book 2)

by Matthew Kadish

  She found she was nervous about attending the meeting of the Ancient Council. In the past, she’d always had Shepherd by her side to help her make decisions regarding the use of Ancient Technology. Though she didn’t always agree with Shepherd’s council, she did always trust him to be honest with her. And now that he was gone, she felt lost. She’d considered asking Commander Seqis to stand by her side in these meetings, but she found the old warrior was hesitant to offer advice for fear of overstepping the bounds of his position. There was something about her new tutor, however, which made her feel as though he might be able to stand in Shepherd’s stead. “Brother Shanks,” Anna said. “Could I trouble you to accompany me to the Council meeting?”

  Shanks raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised at the invitation. “If you wish,” he said with a slight bow.

  The Ancient Council existed to advise Legacy Prime on all matters pertaining to Ancient Technology. It was widely regarded as the most important and prestigious council upon which to sit, since the decisions that came from it affected all life in the Empire. Those chosen to sit upon it were often extremely powerful and influential. It currently consisted of Director Casgor, Starkeeper Cohaagen, Eudox Evenstar, and Gebhard Skyborn.

  Anna sat in the Imperial Seat at the center of the arch-shaped table in the council room, Shanks standing at her side, leaning upon his walking staff. She noticed the tension in the room between Eudox and Gebhard immediately as they gazed at each other from across the table. She’d been briefed on the assassination attempt on Mourdock, but she also knew there was no solid proof to tie it to the Evenstars. On a good day, being in-between the two men made her nervous. Now, it was downright uncomfortable.

  Armonto Virtuoso stood at the center of the area the table encircled. With a slight bow toward Anna, he began his presentation. “As it please Her Highness and the Council,” Armonto began, “I have requested this meeting because I believe the Maguffyn Corporation has made a breakthrough which could fundamentally transform the Empire.”

  Those in attendance all shared impressed and curious looks. It was unlike Armonto Virtuoso to make such a grandiose claim without being able to back it up.

  “Please tell us about your breakthrough, Mr. Virtuoso,” replied Anna.

  “As you all know, the Maguffyn Corporation, with the generous assistance of Legacy Prime, has been studying the Great Seal of the Portgate system for centuries,” Armonto stated. “The Empire was built around the worlds the portgates led us to from the moment Emperor Tantalis first discovered them. The portgate network fosters the majority of travel and trade within our society, and yet, we’ve been limited to only using the network the Ancients set up before they disappeared fifty thousand years ago. We have reached the limit of portgate expansion. And with the Deathlord’s destruction of key planets within the Empire, that network of portgates the Ancients created has not only been disrupted but also made smaller. However, that is all about to change…”

  Armonto tapped on his datapad, and a holographic image of a large, cone-shaped machine appeared.

  “I believe we have finally found a way to re-create the function of a Great Seal,” Armonto said proudly. “With this technology, we can replicate the wonders of the Ancients and pioneer new ones ourselves. But more importantly, we can create our own portgates and expand the network to all ends of the universe.”

  A visible look of excitement seemed to run through all the council members. Starkeeper Cohaagen leaned forward in his seat. “If what you say is true, then this is the breakthrough of the millennia!” he said.

  “Can you imagine?” asked Director Casgor. “Creating new portgates anywhere we please? Instantaneous travel to all our colonies, outposts, and space stations – the possibilities are endless!”

  “I am certainly excited by this announcement, as well,” said Eudox Evenstar, though the way he eyed Armonto made Anna think he was harboring some skepticism. “Perhaps Mr. Virtuoso would be so kind as to share with us how this machine of his accomplishes the very thing only the most advanced race in the history of the universe has been able to achieve?”

  “With pleasure, Lord Evenstar,” Armonto replied. He tapped on his datapad and a holographic image of a Great Seal appeared before the large portion of the machine’s cone. Behind the seal was a visual representation of a pulsing ball of energy.

  “As it stands right now, the Portgate seal protects some manifested power source containing the programming which allows the portgate network to operate,” he said. “I propose to replace the seal with my machine, which would give us control over that power source.”

  The holographic image of Armonto’s machine pressed itself against the Great Seal, causing the seal to fade away. The power source then passed into the machine, where sections of the machine’s cone apparatus began to rotate in different directions, confining the power source within it.

  “Did I hear you correctly, Mr. Virtuoso?” asked Eudox, sitting forward, a look of concern on his face. “You said you want to ‘replace’ the Great Seal of the portgate network?”

  “I did.”

  “And what, exactly, does that mean? ‘Replace.’”

  “It means I would require Her Highness to break the Great Seal and allow my machine to harvest what energies lie beyond it.”

  Eudox’s expression changed to one of horror. “Great Observer!” he said. “That’s madness!”

  Armonto gazed at him, his face calm but his jaw tight with displeasure. “I can assure you, Lord Evenstar, it is not.”

  “Any plan that has to do with destroying the very foundation this Empire was built upon is madness,” shot back Eudox. “The portgate system is what ties the majority of member planets together. If that should go away the entire Empire would crumble overnight.”

  “With all due respect, my Lord,” replied Armonto. “This isn’t about destroying anything. This is about creating a new, stronger foundation upon which we can build. With this advancement, the potential to expand and strengthen our hold on our territory is nothing short of astounding.”

  “The potential for disaster is equally astounding,” argued Eudox. “You are a brilliant man, Mr. Virtuoso, but despite that big brain of yours, I have a hard time believing you are smarter than the Ancients.” Armonto seemed to bristle at that.

  “If I may offer my thoughts, Princess,” said Gebhard Skyborn. “We must consider the benefits of having the autonomy to create our own portgate network – if not simply due to the fact that should the Deathlords show up with another Planetkiller fleet, we have methods of evacuating planets before they are destroyed. This technology has the potential for saving countless lives, in addition to shoring up Imperial space and helping our strained economy rebound with new and increased trade.”

  “Not to mention increasing your Legacy’s own power by tying together all your new colonies and outposts from the reckless expansion you’ve been fostering in the Rim,” said Eudox pointedly.

  Gebhard glared at Eudox. “Forgive me. I forgot the Evenstars are the only Legacy allowed to be prosperous here.”

  “This has nothing to do with my prosperity,” replied Eudox. “I simply wish to point out your motivation for backing such a dangerous and ludicrous proposal.”

  “As salient as Lord Evenstar’s warnings are,” chimed in Director Casgor, “there are larger issues at play here, Your Highness. The Rim worlds, most of which do not have easy access to portgates, are in a constant state of harassment. Though the Planetkiller fleet has been destroyed, regular Deathlord raiding fleets are still a threat, leading many Rim worlds to believe their ties to the Empire grant them no benefits. Numerous colonies are fighting off rebellions from within, and our outposts have become targets for pirates and separatists.”

  “In addition to that, we’ve had reports of Visini patrols encroaching upon the Great Border, leading many to believe they may be preparing for another territory grab while we are devoting resources to the Rim,” said Starkeeper Cohaagen.

  “Exac
tly,” said Casgor. “New portgates would allow us to move supplies and personnel to these problem areas much quicker in order to eliminate these issues before they get out of control.”

  “A far easier and safer solution to these issues would be to simply take the fight to our enemies,” said Eudox. “Without the threat of the Planetkiller fleet looming over us, we could mobilize the Legacies who have built up their own spacefleets and have them squelch these rebellions. We could allow Starkeeper Killian to devote the whole of his fleet to the Great Border while the rest of the Starkeepers mobilize to finally hunt down the Deathlord armadas, which have been terrorizing our colonies for years. We should be talking about how to defeat our enemy right now, rather than discussing ideas which only weaken us further.”

  “To allow the Imperial Starkeepers to remove their fleets in some vain hope of tracking down the Deathlords would do the very thing you say you are warning us against,” replied Gebhard Skyborn. “Not all Legacies are as loyal to Legacy Prime as you or I, Eudox. Without the Starkeeper presence to keep them in line, I fear we may have a number of Legacies looking to carve out their own Empires now that they have the starships to support them.”

  “Your Highness,” said Armonto, taking a step toward Anna. “Long before your father sat on the throne, the Maguffyn Corporation pioneered some of the most important technological advancements the Empire has ever seen. We are the leader in reverse-engineering Ancient Technology. I would not be bringing this proposal to you now if there were even the slightest possibility that it wouldn’t work.”

  All eyes in the room turned toward Anna, who tried not to shift in her chair, despite how uncomfortable she felt under their collective gaze. “Mr. Virtuoso,” Anna said. “If you were to attempt such a thing… how would it work, exactly?”

  Armonto pulled out his data pad and used it to call up a holographic image of a Great Seal. “Almost all Great Seal Technology is based around the physical manifestation of knowledge,” he said. “From our research, we believe the Great Seals act as a way to focus this knowledge into manifest reality. In essence, the Seals are the brain that believes in the knowledge contained in the vault it protects and turns that knowledge into a reality. We do not know exactly how the Seals are created or how it is they operate, but what we do know is that they seem to have a set programming they follow, which is impossible to change.”

  The holographic image faded to a box with a bubbling orb floating inside of it.

  “What I am proposing is essentially the creation of our own Great Seal – one whose programming we can directly control to suit our needs. What you are looking at is what I call a digi-matrix unit. It is a mesh of organic and inorganic components meant to imitate a brain. We can program it to create any neural pathways we want within it, so that when it is combined with our larger manifestation mechanism, it will actually believe in the knowledge we program into it enough to make it a reality.”

  “Great Observer,” muttered Eudox under his breath. “You’re talking about creating an Artificial Intelligence!”

  “Not just any A.I., Lord Evenstar…” replied Armonto. “An A.I. so powerful, it can manifest anything we can design into reality. With it, there will be no need to employ Paragons anymore. The Empire would be self-reliant and able to create anything we need out of thin air to achieve our goals.”

  “Have you forgotten why advanced A.I. like the kind you are proposing has been banned?” said Eudox emphatically. “It is dangerous! Did we learn nothing from the Twilight Empire?”

  “This technology is not dangerous, Lord Evenstar,” replied Armonto. “Though it can manifest knowledge, it has no real self-awareness. It is controlled by us. It is we who not only supply the knowledge it comes to believe in, but also activate and deactivate it as needed.”

  “The very reason why the technology of the Ancients is safe is because it cannot be easily reproduced,” argued Eudox. “It requires living things with free minds – and the wisdom that comes with those free minds – to create and control it! To remove that need is the very definition of dangerous, my friends. If Mr. Virtuoso’s machine does indeed work as he describes it, and should this technology fall into the wrong hands, it could have disastrous consequences, ones which would dwarf any threat the Deathlords ever posed!”

  “Progress always comes with some risk,” said Gebhard Skyborn. “I’m sure there were similar objections when hyperspace was discovered... or when the first portgate on Regalus Prime was uncovered. But I believe the benefits outweigh the risk.”

  “As do I,” said Casgor. “Your Highness, I find Mr. Virtuoso’s proposal most intriguing. It is my recommendation that you pursue it.”

  “Mine as well,” said Gebhard.

  “Not I,” said Eudox. “I believe this proposal to be reckless and dangerous. Your Highness, I urge you to turn it down.”

  “I’m afraid I must agree with Lord Evenstar,” said Cohaagen, wringing his hands. “Though the proposal is a fascinating one, I feel it is far too risky to pursue at the moment.”

  “There will always be risks, Your Highness,” chimed in Armonto. “But in my expert opinion, this is one worth taking.”

  Anna sighed. All eyes were on her right then, and the decision had no real clear answer. “Allow me to think about this more before I come to a decision,” she finally said. “I thank each of you for your wise council. I will let you all know what I’ve decided once I’ve made up my mind as to how to proceed.”

  She could tell her response was not an answer everyone was pleased with, but they accepted it nonetheless. As she left the council chambers and walked down the hallway, her mind buzzed with the possibly of what it would mean to create new portgates. But she also harbored the fear of what failure could mean for her Empire. Flashes of the crumbling walls from the vision she’d had earlier worked their way into her head. She could practically hear the whispers of “You are unworthy” echoing in her ears. Anna glanced at Shanks as he walked beside her, his staff gently tapping the floor with each step he took.

  “What do you think of all this?” asked Anna. “Of Mr. Virtuoso’s proposal?”

  “It is not my place to weigh in on matters of the Empire, Your Highness,” Shanks replied.

  “It is when I ask you for your opinion,” said Anna. “Speak candidly, Brother Shanks. I would have your wisdom on this matter.”

  Shanks bowed his head slightly. “As you wish. I believe what Mr. Virtuoso proposes is dangerous.”

  “So you agree with Lord Evenstar?”

  “Yes,” said Shanks. “But for different reasons.”

  “And what are your reasons?”

  “Mr. Virtuoso proposes to create an artificial brain,” Shanks replied. “He may say otherwise, but in order to manifest anything, a brain must have a consciousness. This is what separates living things from non-living things, and only living things have the potential to free their minds. But the Ancients did not simply use their brains in their endeavors. They used the trinity – body, mind, and soul. What Mr. Virtuoso proposes lacks two of those essential foundations. Without a body, the mind cannot truly understand the world in which it exists. And without a soul, it is easy for evil to take root. An artificial brain has the potential to fall into corruption, and if it really does have the power to manifest anything it chooses… then anything it manifests is not to be trusted.”

  Anna sighed. “And yet, it could be the very thing that keeps the Empire from crumbling,” she said.

  “With all due respect, Your Highness,” said Shanks. “The Empire has existed for ten thousand years. What’s held it together is not technology, but the will and wisdom of those within it. Your Legacy has endured, in good times and in bad. And it will continue to endure, so long as you have the strength to rule it as your ancestors did.”

  You are unworthy, she heard her ancestors say once more.

  “Thank you for your council, Brother Shanks,” said Anna, sadly. “I certainly have much to think about.”

  Chapter 26


  Stratum 12 was far enough down to be a haven for the unsavory faction of Capitol City’s population, but it seemed to be fairly well kept up, despite being so close to ground level. Scallywag made his way among the bevy of brutes, thugs, and low-lifes that filled its streets. At least the air down here is somewhat breathable, he mused as he searched for his destination.

  Like most of the lower stratums, Stratum 12 was so far beneath the other levels, it was as though it existed in a permanent state of night. The digital sky had broken long ago and had been replaced by multitudes of circular crimson and gold lanterns, which hung in rows overhead, giving everything a seedy “red light” feel. Every building was littered with bright neon signs, obnoxiously advertising all manner of vice one could think of.

  A lumbering alien gave Scallywag the evil eye, grunting as he passed. Scallywag fingered the blaster pistol at his side. It had been a pain to get his weapons back after they’d been confiscated upon his arrival, but he knew it had been worth the trouble. One could never be too careful when it came to travelling in the lower stratums.

  Finally, Scallywag arrived at his destination. The entrance was framed by faux wooden brackets holding up a multi-inclined overhang, outlined with small lights that blinked in a manner that made them look like they were moving. Mounted to the base of the overhang an animated sign showed overly-cute, jerky, cartoon-like Orean females dancing. Displayed beneath the sign was the logo “Boozskeller Winchester.”

  It had taken Scallywag some time to determine where Xao was operating from. He probably could have saved himself some trouble and simply asked around as to the location of the gaudiest and most tasteless joint on the stratum. It would figure Xao’s style would lend itself to shacking up in the most garish hole-in-the-wall he could find.

  Boozskeller Winchester didn’t disappoint. The place gave dumps a good name. The digital windows on the walls were all cracked, some smeared with blood, while they played their on-the-fritz landscapes. A hulking alien attempted to sing karaoke on a small stage, even while a fight broke out at the table right in front of him. All manner of villainous scum occupied rickety tables, playing games of Loquir and drinking cheap replicated alcohol. Metal grates, which clanged whenever someone walked on them, made up the floor, and judging from the unconscious bodies strewn about the room, probably hid all manner of bodily fluids beneath them.