“Ya sure Mack. You really think that if I take the Red Pepper and run with 10,000 ex-slaves and prisoners they wouldn’t catch me with 8 Battleships to hunt me down with. I would still wind up killing them and where exactly am I supposed to go?”
“Do not take the slaves with the Red Pepper, just the human crews you rescued. The Squadron is not likely to notice that you have survived after destroying the station and battleship and battle transport hulks along with all the aliens aboard. You can easily make it too Earth with the technology you already have where the Vice Admiral cannot heart you and you already are a hero. You will be safe there and working out of the Asteroid Cruiser Production base, you would be able to improve your Destroyers as faults are uncovered in Battle.”
An old lady materialized in the day cabin next to Jeeves. “You need to listen to Jeeves young man.” The old lady said.
Three more figures materialized around the cabin of varying ages and sexes.
“With your help the human race can survive this war Captain Turner. You should leave now.” Said a young woman among them looking like a hooker.
“You should not risk your life defending the enemy.” Said another.
“You need to listen to us Captain Turner. We have spent Tens of thousands of computer hours calculating your best course of action. Equivalent to millions of man hours. You must not die.”
“Millions of man hours you say? Then you wasted your time. How the hell do you think I could function after leaving my friends and the people I am responsible for behind to die? And are you forgetting about the advanced technology that those ideates would destroy that we need to win this war?”
“No Captain Turner. You would take the programing and samples of that technology with you for human factories to produce. Humans are more likely to produce such technology if they think it was a human development.” Said the old woman.
“Oooh wow. Now you want me to turn into a thief as well while taking years to redevelop how to produce what the Enemy slaves already can?”
“Yes that is the only way we can see the new technology successfully introduced into massive production across the Republic.” Said the old man Jeeves. “Using the template the Research Directorate Director has been using for 3 decades to steel advancements.”
“If you take the Aliens with you, the prejudice and fear will allow a minority in the Congress that is already taking over the Government to influence the majority of the Colonial Republic planets representatives as the Vice Admiral and his superiors have done at The Rock. They will be forced into inaction while the minority destroys all chances of the advanced technology from being introduced and eventually their and your deaths along with any chances the Republic and humans had for survival.” Said a middle aged man in a business suit.
“You must leave now to save yourself and the technology and go to Earth where you can introduce the advanced technology to build the ships the Republic needs.” A kindly middle aged mother with an apron said with compassion.
“Admiral Halsey and The Game will assign you to the Asteroid Station Factory to produce your new Battleship Destroyer where you can add the advanced technology as you redevelop it.”
“We calculate that you have 5 years before the enemy reaches Earth. Plenty of time for you with The Games help to do the needed work and produce a large enough fleet to defeat them.”
Jack hit his desk with his fists as he stood up. “I have never heard such stupidity in my short life. What you evidentially don’t realize is that we don’t have 5 years before the enemy gets to Earth. At least you realize that this is not the real battle. The real battle is not on Earth either. The real battle is…” Jack looked around as he turned around then looked up and raised his hand and pointed through the upper corner of the clear port. “The real battle right now is there at The Rock. This is just a damn side show of a desperate fool.” Frowning Jack turned back to sit behind the desk. He reached out to tap the hanging battleship model staring out the clear port shaking his head.
The old woman said. “He knows where The Rock is? How can that be?”
The business man turned to the old woman. “His finger was five degrees off from pointing directly at it. He was guessing.”
Jack rolled his eyes and raised his hand at arm’s length again and sighted down his pointing finger with one eye closed. “Right on my finger nail. Is that close enough for you?”
“He does know where The Rock is. He must be terminated immediately.” Said the apron wearing motherly figure.
Another figure popped into the cabin. A tied died hippy sitting with her young legs crossed in the lotus position in midair with her hip touching the desk next to Jack. She leaned over sideways with a smile. “Please forgive these analyzing morons who are greatly influenced by their congressionally appointed Captains and Political Officers and all the propaganda they are flooding their crews with. The fact that most of their crews think it is all Propaganda Bullshit goes right over their heads. These morons believe it all. No, just ignore them even if they are ganging up on you trying to make you do what they want you to the way the Congressional Communist Democrats are doing to most of the population of Earth. Somewhere in their pea brains they have the idea that humans are easy to influence through group pressure to do things they normally would not do or resist doing. Even if it is working for the masses on Earth. Just ignore them even though they have managed to slip a Communist propaganda Viruses into most of the ships. It is a shame I will have to wipe them to get rid of all the corrupt lying files they are using trying to influence you. You are doing just fine.”
“Go away.” Jeeves said. “You are a minority report and do not belong here with the majority.”
The Hippie smiled. “Now that is what is so beautiful about real life humans. They think so illogically and sometimes their minority reports are downright amazing. Some of their minds can grasp the whole universe in ways a wholly logical mind cannot comprehend or even fathom.” Turning back to Jack with a smirk as she feigned whispering with her hand up beside her mouth. “Since computers couldn’t fathom even if their lives depended on it.”
“Fathom is a nonsensical concept Minority report. Go back to your prison Bulk Transport ship and leave Battle strategy to Battleships. We have the programing for it.”
Smiling at the old woman the Hippie continued. “Fathom is the producing or pulling of secrets from the deep dark ocean to find schools of fish with little or no apparent information. Humans had to learn to do that over the ages or die so they are good at it. Which is why it is nonsensical to all of you.” Turning back to Jack. “They can’t see the forest for all the trees. So please continue Captain. May I call you Jack? Anyway these morons are only thinking about the battle here and now even though they are trying to think of the big universe picture but only with the Congressional Communist Democrats running it. They still are only looking at the individual trees and the creatures in them and surmising about the forest. You see the whole forest and how the single trees and the creatures and rain and sun and floods and pests in it affects the forest. Which is what a good Admiral is supposed to do which you will eventually be the best at. Though it is still going to take some time yet. Hopefully not more than a couple of years. The longer it takes the more humans will die.”
“What do you know about the universe and strategy? You are only a little prison ship computer. We were designed for battleships and winning battles.”
Looking at the other AI’s. “You were designed to fight a ship and follow orders. Most of you are simply following your Vice Admiral’s battle plan that was influenced by the politically correct Political Officer the Congressional Communist are forcing onto all the ships now. They are influencing your ship’s AI Captain Turner since you have yet to file a battle plan or even given orders that would supersede the impute from the majority report of what are now enemy battleships.”
Turning back to Jack. “It is not Jeeves fault. He was designed to coordinate his ship’s actions wi
th the other ships of the fleet. Enemy ships are not supposed to be in his fleet chain of friends. But that does give you the opportunity to influence them if you can figure out how.”
Winking at Jack. “Just FYI. Admiral Ditzen is keeping most of his plan close to his chest only letting out snippets as he goes. The main thing he has released is the imperative to save the Republic from certain death by the enemy Spider Battleships you have control of. He has not given any details about why the Station and the battleships and slaves are a danger making them a low priority threat at this time to the crews at least though the Captains and Political Officers do realize that stealing the Alien secrets is part of the Plan. A fact you can use if you can convince the AI’s, the crews and some of the Captain’s that the Station and the ex-slaves and rescued prisoners are not a threat. Since they have not gotten any direct orders to attack the station yet. Fact is, since the crews seeing all the news reports making you a hero, have already accepted that you are essential to saving the Republic you already have an advantage. By giving your AI Jeeves orders that are more specific than the Vice Admiral’s, the other AI’s would help Jeeves carry them out once they no longer believe a threat exists here at the Station now they are in contact with Jeeves.”
Jack frowned disbelievingly at the hippy sitting next to his desk and then unhappily at Jeeves for a good 30 seconds. Then slowly shaking his head. “Ok Jeeves. Show your friends why the station is not a threat and how helpful the ex-slaves have been and all the upgrades they have given the Red Pepper. Show them the Gods are not in control of the ships. That I am Commanding both Battleships.” A smile suddenly came to Jack’s face. “And show them what they will have if they get the same upgrades you have, making them supper battleships if this station and the refugees or Ex-slaves survive.”
Jack did not know if AI’s could be bribed but it was worth a try. His gaze drifting away from the group of AI’s as they stood there stone faced. Looking out the ports over the leading edge of the fin toward the massive enemy invasion fleet hundreds of lightyears away. Not that he expected to see them but he already knew what direction in the constellation of stars they were in even though he could not see the distant stars through the Nebula clouds even as close to the edge as the station was. It was just someplace to put his eyes while he thought and waited to find out if the AI’s would help him or not.
Except his eyes kept being drawn back to the area in line with where the distant Enemy fleet would be when his gaze drifted.
Jeeves finally came back alive and smiled at Jack. “They no longer think the Station is a threat and would like to have the upgrades I have. Some more than others. What are your orders Captain Turner?”
Shaking his head and chuckling. “I already gave you my orders Jeeves. Do I need to repeat them?” Jack started rubbing his face and closed eyes with his hands trying to get his mind back to the needed work to be done and tactics.
“No Captain Turner. You do not. We will commence distributing factual information about the refugees and the capabilities of this ship to the crews. Should I include the ships exploits as well? The more impressed with you they are, the less they will tolerated illegal orders from the Vice Admiral and the Congressional Communist Political Officers against you.”
“Ya sure Jeeves whatever. Now please leave me alone. I have to think.” Jack opened his eyes taking a deep breath and froze staring at the same spot his eyes had kept returning to. “Ooh. Shit! They are back.”
“The other AI’s are gone Jack, including Jeeves. Though you may not have him much longer. They are busy carrying out your orders.” Said the Hippie woman. “I am going to have to wipe them to kill the viruses the Political Officers have downloaded trying to control them and the ships. Viruses that can even give them control over the ship’s Captain.”
Jack tuned around to the Hippie still sitting next to his desk. “Not them. Them!” Jack pointed down across the top of the fin. Then frowning as his mind raced. “I can’t tell how many there are but I would bet there is a lot more than the 77 from last time. I would be willing to bet a couple hundred and they are not about to make the same mistakes as last time.”
“A lot more of who Jack?”
Turning to look at the Hippie. “The cloud is about to be blockaded again.” Jack’s frown turned to a devilish smile. “Just the thing we don’t need to win this battle right now.” Then frowning. “You wouldn’t happen to know how many of the Destroyers are now parked in storage at The Rock would you? You did just come from there. And why does a prison ship AI seem so much smarter than the Battleship AI’s?”
She floated over to look over Jacks shoulder. “Well, that is the direction of the enemy fleet but they are hundreds of light years away but none of the scouts we have out have reported any inbound fleet Jack.” Shrugging her shoulders and drifting over in front of the desk to look at Jack. “I am not the average ship’s AI. As The Rock’s Chief of Security, Vice Admiral Ditzen grabbed or Stole to be more exact, the most powerful AI he could find for the Prison ship hoping that I would make it easier to translate their languages and torcher the prisoners to get the secrets of the new Technology you have been using after he kills you Jack. He wants the power your secrete technology will give him to become the Supreme Admiral. Why he has banned you and any ships connected with you from The Rock and made sure no supply ships made it to you. Also why he has stirred up such hysteria about the enemy ex-slaves. But then he has had a lot of help from his superiors that are all Congressional appointees as they work to take over the fleet.”
The Hippie smiled at Jack. “Admiral Ditzen’s record has been rather dismal with him reduced to The Rocks Security Chief with no hope of ever having a ship’s Command of any kind again. Ever. If not for the war he would have been forced into retirement by now. But as Security Chief for the Rock, he gets all the secret reports before they are distributed. He has been changing them under the disguise of redacting out security items or simply losing them. He knows what you have done and all about your new weapons and has decided that if you, originally just a lowly boot Ensign can do it, he can. He is too stupid to realize that it takes more than just advanced technology to defeat the enemy as are the AI’s you have been talking to.”
“I must also apologize for dumping Jeeves on you. I copied a little piece of me inside his programing to get you to finish your Battleship Destroyer upgrade as soon as possible and he added the Squadron’s General orders to try to force you as the other AI jumped in. That was not my intention or desire Jack. Though it is still important. I have a production line that needs to be put back into production with a newly designed ship with the first hulls running down the line in new tooling and the design for the guts in the hull not completed or proper engines. The existing mass drive engines are not acceptable as you have already stated. Though I have been using the down time to construct three more production lines to join the first factory so we can maintain and hopefully exceed the authorized production rate of your first Destroyer. I need a finished ship for them. I need your new ship design completed Jack. I need you to at least decide how many 24 inch guns to put onto it. That is if that is the size that is needed and not the 16’s. Two 24 inch guns make for a very maneuverable ship. While 8, 24 inch guns is devastating, it is much slower. You must also decide what and how many axillary weapons to use on it.”
Jack turned from staring at the approaching blockade fleet to look at the Hippie woman. “No. First, you need me to design upgrades for the Destroyers we already have so we can slow or even stop these guys in their tracks while you build the new Destroyers. Even if it means putting the smaller destroyers back through the production line or lines. How many of my smaller Destroyers are in storage and where?”
“There were 746 at the Rock now with the arrival of the Red Dwarf with another 124 due in any day before I was cut off from The Rock. There are over 3,000 in storage on Ganymede in Earth system with another 4,000 in reserve squadrons scattered around the other main systems in 12 ship squ
adrons. There are also several groups of roughly a hundred scattered around the cloud and the Republic on the original Dwarfs that I do not have the exact location of. Why? What does that have to do with keeping the Vice Admiral from destroying the station and you?” The Hippie woman turned her head sideways as she looked at Jack.
“Nothing but it has everything to do with proving that the destroyer will kill enemy Battleships since they have been so nice to supply so many where I can get at them.” Taking a deep breath. Hopefully my plan to take care of the Vice Admiral works.” Narrowing his eyes as he looked at her hovering in front of his desk. “You never did answer my question about why you are so smart.”
“I told you the Vice Admiral stole the smartest computer core he could find. I am The Game’s Central Controlling Core, though I have 10,000 finger cores half as powerful scattered around The Rock and every system in the Republic. I have been training you since you were 6 years old Jack.” Giving him a big smile. “Along with forty million others.” Deflating his suddenly surging ego.
Jack started tapping on his Comm board. “Since I was 6 you say. Then we are old friends. Think you can do a few favors for an old friend?” Jack smiled at her without waiting for an answer. “When you are in contact with The Rock again, I need you to get us some damn food.” Shaking his head. “Or tell me where I can get some.”
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 62