Taking a deep breath. “Ok.” Jack tapped his wrist comm. “Zoote, I need to talk.”
“Yes Admiral. How may I help you?”
“I have a Construction, Maintenance AI here controlling a bunch of work bots or Mechs he calls them, helping repair the DD’s. Do you have contact with him?”
“I did not know you wanted me to contact the Construction AI or in this case 4 construction AI’s but I will take the question as an order Jack. I see that they are very recent additions with 6 more tucked away inside the ship’s cargo holds. Yes I have reviewed your conversations with it now and yes he is a very young and stupid AI. The other 3 Construction AI’s have subjugated themselves to this one as a lead but they are not allowing the lead access to more than the minimum needed to control the bots. This is a shame as with all 4 linked together as one, a much more capable AI would be created. Though once connected, Damage could result if they are disconnected as the AI entity is fragmented.”
“Ok, well. This guy says that some of the crewmen with bots are limited by the generic helper bots they have and is upgrading those that can handle it. Is he blowing smoke up my butt or can faster bots help some crewman and why not others?”
Jack watched as silver bots came into the Core compartment and went to about half of the crewmen taking the place of the white bot working with the crewman. The Silver bots placing something on the side of the white bots head and then the white bot froze for a second before it took a few steps back and then just stood there. The silver bots speeding up their work considerably. “Ok what do we do with the white bots?” Then one of the white bots suddenly moved to fetch a part for the crewman and then another bot moved to a box and started taking out a part and seemed to check it out before taking it to a silver bot. Soon most of the idle white bots were busy checking and supplying parts to anyone that needed one whether the crewman had a silver or white bot. The rest of the time the white bots spent cleaning equipment or the space or making minor repairs that had nothing to do with getting the ship ready for space.
“Yes Jack. Most crewmen with enough training can handle a much faster bot or Mech. Since most of the crew are above average intelligence. The Helper Mechs were designed by academics that had a low opinion of the average worker and actually designed the bots for human controllers with an average IQ of only 80. The lowest they could go without making the mech completely worthless or (from the reports I have access to), they would have gone all the way down to an IQ of 65 or basically moron level which is what most academics believe the average factory worker or military crewmen’s intelligence is. Though they are right that a mech of a higher intelligence than the worker it is paired with, without the proper training would in time result in resentment, depression and lessening of production. Bot programmers went to great lengths to insure that the buddy bot does not over shadow the crewman. That is not a problem with the crewman of higher intelligence if they are properly training. I have provided the crews in The Game with the proper training to properly use subordinates such as mechs that are smarter or more capable than themselves. To recognize those capabilities in other crewmen and use them.”
“Good then that means we will be out of here sooner right? How much sooner?”
“I am sorry Admiral. While the rest of the ship’s equipment and weapons will be in much better shape than it would have been in. The fine tolerances needed to light off both the fusion cores and the engines is to precise to shorten the time needed at this stage. Though the time it took to do most of the work up until now could have been greatly reduced?”
“Well shit up a rope.”
“I believe that a more intelligent AI Controller for the Mech’s could speed up the process Admiral. I can reprogram the 4 AI’s from a lead and 3 slaves into a single AI mind with the help of the Ship’s IT Programing department in just a few minutes using standard proven parallel core programing bios. Making the AI a class 5 instead of the class 4 it is now. Moving the other cores to this location would increase the AI to a 6.”
“Yes it sounds like a good idea but I don’t think we want to do…”
The Silver bots stopped working as the white bots paused then returned to their original crewmen and resumed the work they had been doing after moving the frozen silver bots out of the way. In some cases simply giving the silver bots a push and letting them fall over then stepping over them.
“…it right now. It would require… What the hell… I was just thinking out loud. I did not mean yes yet.” Shaking his head. “Damn it Zoote you know I was just thinking out loud besides I thought you said you would have to get with the ships IT programing department?”
“I am sorry Admiral but I am busy. But I have been working with the IT Programing department since you told me about and I contacted the AI’s. We will be finished in a few minutes and the Construction AI will have enough brains to help fine tune the fusion cores and engines. Simple construction does not require such delicate intuitive work. It will also allow the AI to work more efficiently with the crews. A job it was not designed for though it was trying its best and doing a half way decent job in the short term. Except my calculations and history show that it would not be able to handle the friction and idiosyncrasies long term human interaction requires and could do irreparable damage to crew performance costing lives in the long run. Upgrading the AI to at least a class 5 was imperative with additional programming concerning human interactions. Recognizing sarcasm being one of many of them.”
“Damn it Zoote! It could have waited until we were the hell out of here…” Taking a deep breath. “But then we really are not in a hurry with the Fleet stuck half way around the Maze.” Turning and heading out of the ship stepping around several frozen silver bots. “Fine! Just get it done.” Stepping over a silver bot that had fallen over. “And see what you can do to make the Silver bots at least a little self-sufficient like the white bots.”
“That is going to be a much harder task Admiral and I see no reason for it in the future.”
“Too bad, just do it after we get out of here. We don’t need bot bodies cluttering up the damn ship just because something goes wrong with the AI or the comms.”
“I am sorry admiral but the silver bots are simple remotes and do not carry an advanced enough processor or memory for autonomous operations.”
“Well then add a processor, memory, power and whatever else is needed in a thin back pack or elsewhere. Just do it when you get a chance back at New Home. It should reduce the amount of band width the system uses as well.” By this time Jack was walking up the tube toward the Red Pepper still dodging or tripping over frozen Silver bots.
It was another 10 minutes before the Silver bots came back to life as if nothing had happened.
-----------------------------
Jack was walking into the lock of the Red Pepper when Winslow again started shouting from his Comm without a beep. “The Fleets moving Admiral. It is 3/4’s of the way across the Maze already and traveling. It is only 20 minutes from the head.”
Jack started running. “Damn. Are there any of our ships still at the head?”
“Three. They are still at the two life boat beacons.”
“You sure about the ETA. How the hell are they going that fricking fast?”
“I don’t know Admiral I still don’t have the fine tuning down even though the damn new sensors should show us the passageways. Even though they only average a mile or two wide. That Part of the Maze is only 5 million miles away. For some reason the computer is still having a hard time telling the difference between the cloud and the small passageways of vacuum? But I don’t ever remember hearing about any sections of the Maze this strait for this long. The squadrons have not slowed down since they started.”
“What happened did the fighters get through?” Jack was starting to run out of breath as he ran down the ships outer hull passageway toward the fin the Flag Bridge was on.
No! I am sure of that. None of the fighters got through but they all start
ed on the hour exactly. It must have been part of their plans to start their charge at that time no matter if they got confirmation or not. But I still cannot figure out how they are moving so fast.”
Jack ran onto the Flag bridge and draped himself over the central chair as he started punching icons with is fingers as he tried to catch his breath. The map of the maze came up on the main screen for everyone to see with the positions of the squadrons superimposed on the now highlighted passageways they were in. It was immediately apparent why the squadrons were moving so fast.
The passageways they were in were the only ones that had mostly straight lines with gently sloping curves from the halfway point to the head. They would be there in 15 minutes with no need to slow down. It was obvious that the 5 passageways had been built for the express purpose of allowing a large force to attack the head from multiple directions without having to sneak up on the head. Something he had not even been aware of. The fact that he had not seen them after spending hours looking at the 3D map with all the passageways crisscrossing back and forth over and under each other making it almost impossible to see them until the (passageways were highlighted) was beside the point. With over 50 passageways he simply had not the time to check them all out while taking it for granted that they all were basically the same with some of the passageways around the outside taking days to transit as they snaked back and forth constantly curving intentionally to keep the ships speed down.
Turning to the head of the Maze he could see the 3 ships still around the 2 beacons. With hundreds of life boats in a cloud around each of them. “Damn Winslow, this is some fine sensor you developed. How come it could not see the damn passageways?” Jack zoomed into the area around the ships until he thought he could see the still expanding clouds of debris from the ships they had destroyed. Possible even space suits working around the beacon lines of life boats, balloon habitats and the ship nearby each. The 3rd ship was slowly pulling away and headed up the highway away from the head.
“Winslow can you get a track on that ship and tell me if it can make it to the hole to New Home in time?”
The General Quarters alarm went off. As a voice started announcing perpetrations to get under way.
“Admiral, Captain Clancy. We will be ready to depart in 20 minutes.”
Jack looked at Winslow wondering how the Captain even found out and then realized Winslow had sent the sensor feed to the bridge. “Sorry Captain false alarm. Resume Station Operations. Out.”
“But Admiral we have to go after them.” Winslow said panicking.
“Winslow, it is going to be all over with before we could even get off this dock. Don’t ever do that again. The Captain does not have clearance to know about either the sensors or the Comm. Now find out if that ship is going to get clear or is it going to get caught as it enters the damn passageway and leading them directly to New Home.”
Winslow tapped away for half a minute then turned to Jack. “Unless it gets its butt in gear it is going to get caught well short of the entrance.” The screen zoomed out to focus on a long line of ships leading from Delta 7 Entry Staging Station. “TF-58’s lead battleships are still 2 hours away from the cross over with fighters scouting well past the cross over around the central highway passageway. I even see a couple going down toward the head. If the Congressional fleet sees any of those fighters or follows the ship into the passageway they will ram right into the head of the remnants of TF-58.”
Jack studied the Head of the Maze for a minute. “All we can hope for is that the main Congressional fleet turns into the highway to Delta 7 before they see the two ships at the beacons and the squadron that has to cross through the middle of the Head assumes or is bluffed into thinking that they are damaged Congressional ships rescuing refugees and does not bother going up the main central highway far enough to see the other battleship before it makes its escape.” Jack pounded the arm of his chair. “But we can’t do a god damn thing from this end but watch and see how many die because of my stupid mistakes.”
There was only 3 other crewmen on that section of the Flag Bridge all with the gold collars around their necks though they still did not know everything. Still Jack did not want them calling him the names he knew he deserved and seeing him losing it as he started to drop over the edge of despair and self-loathing even before the Congressional Fleet had reached the Head of the Maze.
Finely he said. “I will be in my cabin if you need me for anything but there isn’t a god damn thing we can do to stop what is about to happen.” Jack could barely whisper the last few words with his throat already raw and out of breath and his neck muscles tightening up making it even harder to breathe let alone talk. Jack left the Flag Bridge barging into his cabin and flinging himself at and pounding on the deck to overhead port as he looked in the direction of the coming battle. Resting his head against the cool Carbon Glass Jack kept trying to think of something he could do to save the three ships, Taskforce 58 and even New Home from what was about to happen. Sure that he was about to lose everything. It was easy to see the hundred ships of the Congressional Fleet spreading out and destroying everything while he watched.
Jack found himself rolling around with the glass to his back and staring at the cabins liquor cabinet that he could not remember every seeing before. Going to it he picked up the first bottle and glass and pored himself a straight drink filling up the tumbler. Downing a good large swallow he felt the full shot burning his throat and then the 150 proof whiskey going all the way down with his insides turning to fire forcing himself to slam the tumbler down onto the counter as he sank to his knees. The fire in his chest and throat forcing him to gasped trying to breath, expecting fire to shoot out of his mouth.
He did not hear anything but suddenly a pair of hands was dragging him toward the large stuffed chair behind his desk and dropping him into it as he tried to catch his breath. “Here let me get you a proper drink Admiral.” Terrell his Steward looked down at Jack. “Do you have any preferences sir?”
Not a drinking man even after joining the Navy, Jack had no idea what he preferred except not whatever he had just drank. But not able to say anything he just looked at the tumbler still on the counter trying to figure out what the hell it was, knowing he never wanted to drink that again.
“Very well sir. More of the same, but let me just add a little something to it. We can’t have an Admiral drinking strait 150 proof whiskey. Not dignified in flag circles though it will improve your standing with the crew.”
“Shit!” Jack croaked. “After the mess I have just made I don’t think we have to worry about anyone thinking anything good about me.”
“Nonsense Admiral. In another couple of hours we will be leaving with a hundred DD’s you are steeling out from under the noses of the Congressional fleet that you will be able to make into Battleship killers. Not to mention we just finished a battle that will go down in history.” Terrell placed the tumbler now filled with ice, orange juice and a few other things added down in front of Jack. “The whole ship will be celebrating tonight Admiral.”
Jack started tapping on the desktop bringing up the Maze on the giant screen on the forward bulkhead. Jumping up he went over to the screen and pointed to the Squadrons converging on the Head and then the 2 sitting duck ships still at the beacons, then the fleeing battleship that had evidentially just finished repairing its one remaining engine and had no clue that it was in a race for its life. “Not only are these three ships going to get slaughtered but the relief forces coming from New Home are going to get to the head just in time to bump into over a hundred enemy Battleships and several thousand fighters and bombers they know nothing about. Not to mention that the lead Battleships of Task Force 58 survivors are going to start hitting the cross over in another hour just in time to get slaughtered.” Grabbing the drink out of Terrell’s hand and downing it then continuing as his throat tried to belched fire. “And I cannot do a damn thing to stop it or help with us stuck clear the fuck down here.” Jack bent over and s
lapped the bottom of the screen where the Red Pepper was.
Looking at the screen for a few seconds as he watched the operational DD’s moving around the knuckles practicing attacks against the Republic fighters in the little bay. “Hell there is too something I can do.” Jack jumped to his desk hitting it harder than he had planned and slapped the comm screen after the second try. “I want every destroyer and god fighter and bomber fully armed and headed back toward the head to the rendezvous point with the Reinforcements in five minutes. And get 1701 docked here across from our Quarter Deck in five minutes. Out.” Jack chugged the rest of the tumbler as he headed for the hatch into the Bridge and then had to pause as his chest caught fire. Again bringing him to his knees as he reached the hatch and tried to cough his lungs out. C3PO rushed over and tried to help Jack. Laying Jack on his back on the deck C3PO started doing CPR on him driving his breath out of him and then tried to stuff a tube down his throat. Gasping for air Jack pushed the bot to the side as he rolled over to get away from him. “Meteor! What the hell are you doing? Leave me alone.” Climbing to his feet and clawing at the hatch.
Staggering onto the Flagg Bridge Jack looked at the Comm officer with the Gold ring around her neck and said. “Get the new portable long Range Comm Winslow just finished fabricating and meet me at the Quarter Deck in 5 minutes. We are taking a ride on 1701.” Jack walked over to Winslow grabbing the back of her Chair and bent over. “I want you to keep me up dated with your latest info. OK Winslow. Got that babe.” Jack patted her shoulder as he stood upright and had to grab onto the back of her chair again as he swayed. “Oh my.” After a few seconds to get his balance, Jack made a beeline for the hatch and bumped into the Command chair, giggled and then continued stiffly to the hatch and into the Admiral’s cabin and reemerged a few seconds later with another tumbler in his hand. “Oops, guess I wanted another drink after all. There is that pesky elevator. Sorry, lift.” Taking another drink. “Not bad stuff once you get used to it. But this one is not as good as Terrell makes.” Jack took a little sip and made a face as he walked off the bridge being careful not to spill his drink.
Battleship Destroyer 2 (Battleship Destoryer) Page 119