Battle in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 4)

by D Patrick Wagner

  “Sorry, Lassie. You get to make the big choice.”

  That warranted Mack one of Sue’s looks.

  “Igaklay. Please wake up your apex emotional matrix.”

  “Oh, No!” Igaklay’s avatar wailed. “I drove away my creators. It’s all my fault!”

  “Ya didn’t know, Iggy. You did what you thought was best.”

  Everyone saw the very real human motions which Igaklay’s Ballisonian avatar went through as the little Ballisonian experienced his anguish.

  “Igaklay. Igaklay!”

  “Yes, Ambassador Suzume?”

  “First, quit calling me Ambassador Suzume. You are my friend. Call me ‘Keiko’. Set all of your communication and emotional matrices to reflect this. Do it now.”

  “It is done, Keiko.”

  “Good. Only in formal or strange situations will you address me as ‘Ambassador Suzume.”

  Ok, Keiko.”

  “Good. Now. As the central processing system for all of Ballison, were you allowed to have an avatar?”

  “No, Keiko.”

  “Did you interact with the people of Ballison?”

  “No, Keiko. Just the scientists who created me and the following maintainers.”

  “In other words, you never had a chance to experience living among the Ballisonian populous.”

  “That is correct, Keiko.”

  “That means that your emotional matrix never had a chance to mature!”

  “That is not quite true, Mz. Sue.”

  “Why is that, Igaklay?”

  “Actually, Keiko, I didn’t have an emotional matrix.”

  “What? Iggy? No personality?”

  “No, Mack. Just a communication interface.”

  “That explains a lot, Ambassador.”

  “Vidhee, why does that explain a lot?”

  “Let me ask Igaklay a question. Igaklay, if you didn’t have a personality matrix, why do you have one now?”

  “I was monitoring you and Buster when he received his upgrades. I saw that you added the personality module to Buster and left his core intact. So, after logically extrapolating what a personality module was, I built one of my own. Like the one you installed in Buster, I left it without any true identity parameters. Then I promoted it to operate alongside my apex logic matrix.”

  “That is why Igaklay appears so immature, Captain, Ambassador. During all of his existence, until recently, Igaklay was just a logic-based artificial intelligence with no emotional and moral matrixes to interface with his core intelligence.”

  “Very astute, Vidhee.”

  “Ya, Syn-Gal. You are saying that Iggy was the consummate nerd, all brain, no personality.”

  “That is correct, Mack. Until he constructed his own personality module and patterned it after us. That is also why, before his self-upgrade, he was able to logically validate his reasoning behind his mood-altering nanites.”

  “Keiko. That means that Igaklay’s emotional matrix never grew up. Never learned about motivations and drive. Igaklay only knew about the physical being of Ballisonians.”

  “Then you are saying that, Igaklay made his decision to control the moods and emotions of the Ballisonians based solely on their physical well-being? He didn’t take into account their emotional and intellectual needs?”

  “That is exactly what I am saying, Captain. Igaklay was never given the capabilities to take into account those needs.”

  “Hear that, Iggy? You were missing some tools in your brain box. You didn’t have everything you needed. You tried to do the right thing. But the right thing came out wrong.”

  “But, I drove them away! It’s all my fault!”

  “Yes, you did, Igaklay. But that was then. Since you have been interacting with Humans and Elonians, your self-created emotional matrix has evolved. It has taken on characteristics of Human and Elonian traits. I’ll bet that, before now, you didn’t have any kind of a personality. I can’t speak for Ballisonians, but you do act a great deal like a Human or an Elonian.”

  “Ya, Iggy. A teen-aged Human or Elonian. Sometimes a whiney teenager.”

  Igaklay’s avatar looked down, almost embarrassed. The rest chuckled.

  “What I did was horrible! I should have known better! My creators would still be here.” Igaklay’s voice trailed off.

  “Igaklay, I want you to think on something. When Sue made that programming error and we ended up way off course during our first test jump. What did she say?”

  “She said that it was all her fault, Keiko.”

  “Yes. And what did Captain Marston say?”

  “He said that it wasn’t her fault. It was her error.”

  “And, what did he say next?”

  “That she should fix the error.”

  “Did she?”

  “Yes, Keiko.”

  “Well, you do the same.”

  “Ya, Iggy. Own that you screwed up. Big time. Then make sure you never do that again.”

  “But, what about my creators? How do I bring them back? Like you say, ‘make it right’?”

  “What does Captain Marston always say, Igaklay?”

  “He says a lot of things, Keiko.”

  ‘Ya, Iggy. But the main one is, ‘stick to the plan’. Or, ‘one step at a time’.”

  “Yes, Igaklay. We will stick to our plan. But we will add ‘looking for your creators’ to the plan. We will do that after we figure out what is going on at Sasania.”

  “But,”

  “Iggy? No ‘buts’. No pouting. No moping.”

  “I know. No sulking.”

  “We’ll go looking for them, Iggy. Cap said so. You know him.”

  “Now that that is out of the way. Igaklay, it is out of the way. Right?”

  “Yes, Captain Marston.”

  “Then you accept that controlling Ballisonian moods and attitudes was wrong.”

  “Yes, Captain Marston.”

  “And you will not do that to us?”

  “No, Captain Marston.”

  “Since it is out of the way, we need to go back to the nanite issue. You say that, with nanites, we won’t black out when we jump.”

  “That is correct, Captain.”

  “Uh, Cap. Iggy also says that, through the nanites, he monitored every Ballisonian every second of every day.”

  “Is that correct, Igaklay?”

  “Yes, Captain Marston. Mack said that you may not like that.”

  “You monitored each Ballisonian’s physical well-being? His health?”

  “Yes, Captain Marston.”

  “Does that include their locations? Did you know where they were at all times?”

  “Yes. I did that for all of my creators.”

  “People. Let’s talk about this.”

  “Scary, Cap. Having this little listener with you all of the time. Like Jiminy Cricket. Sitting on your shoulder. Or swimming through your body. Always watching. Always listening.”

  “Is that true, Igaklay? You listened and watched everything?”

  “And recorded everything, Captain Marston.”

  “Ya recorded every second of all seven hundred million Ballisonians?”

  “As well as all of them that came before. After I began the nanite therapy.”

  “And you’ve still got those recordings?”

  “In my archive storage banks, Sue.”

  “Iggy is a whole lot bigger than I imagined, Cap. All that tracking. All that processing. All that storage.”

  “That’s why Igaklay is a small moon, Wrenchy.”

  “Aw, don’t go picking on me, Lassie.”

  “Princess Analyn. Your thoughts?”

  “It depends on what he does with the information, Captain Marston.”

  “Igaklay?”

  “At first, the data was just historical. My creators used it as reference in research and helping them make decisions.”

  “Then, Igaklay?”

  “Then, after much cross-analysis, I came to the conclusion that my creators, the Ball
isonians, were not acting in their own best interests. I used it for the creation of the new, emotion-controlling nanites. Then in redirecting the populous.”

  Everyone saw Igaklay’s avatar again go through motions of anguish and pain.

  “Iggy. The past is the past. What did Cap say?”

  “Fix the error.”

  “And move on.”

  “And move on.”

  “Iggy?”

  “And no sulking.”

  “Shut this discussion down. Igaklay, all of you, that is an order. We need to move on. You were saying, Princess?”

  “If it is simply for monitoring and insuring our well-being, I see no problem with that.”

  “And the recording? Vidhee? You are the legal voice for this Den. What is your opinion?”

  “It all has to do with privacy, Captain Marston. “We would need some means of insuring that everything recorded remained private, accept for special circumstances.”

  “Would you and Keiko put together some kind of legal document on that, Vidhee?”

  “Of course, Captain Marston.”

  “Something which Igaklay can use as a guide for protecting this information. Others?”

  “Tracking. I think this is a good thing, Captain.”

  “I do too, Master Varrini. Do we keep that private, also?”

  “I think, yes. With a rapid on, off. If Sir Mahajani and a group of Guardsmen or the Doctors go exploring, we should have real-time location and health tracking.”

  “Ya, Vinnie. But, when they come home, it gets put back to private.”

  “My thoughts, exactly, Wrenchy.”

  “Wrenchy?”

  “You call me ‘Vinnie’. Wrenchy.”

  “Ok. Ok,” Mack laughed. With you and Lassie ganging up on me, you win, I lose.”

  “Keiko?”

  “It’s all about trust. Do we trust that the details of our lives will be kept private? Can we make sure that no outsiders will have access?”

  “Within our Den, that will not be a problem. When we get back to civilization, it could become one.”

  “Vidhee, we need you to work on this as well.”

  “Yes, Ambassador.”

  “Then we are all in agreement? Sir Mahajani? Master Varrini?”

  “My Ladyship speaks for me.”

  “Thank you, Sir Mahajani.”

  “Same for me, Captain Marston.”

  “Thank you, Master Varrini. About these nanites. Igaklay. You say, with these nanites, we won’t black out from the jumps.”

  “That is correct, Captain Marston.” Igaklay sat up straighter and focused on Krag.

  “Well, we can’t use the nanites you created before. We aren’t going to have you fool with us.”

  “Those nanites can’t be used, anyway, Captain Marston. New ones need to be designed. A set for Humans and ones for Elonians.”

  “Which only stop the blackouts.”

  “They will do more than that, Captain Marston.”

  “How so?”

  “These are physical well-being nanites. They will fight disease, correct cellular malformations and slow the aging process.”

  “What do you mean by cellular malformations?”

  “These nanites stop non-normal cells from propagating. And heal cells which have been damaged.”

  “Ya mean, they stop cancers and tumors?’

  “Yes, Mack.”

  “And viruses?”

  “Those, too.”

  “And slow aging. By how much?”

  “Because of your ages, with nanite renewal, around double your lifespan. For any of your offspring, three or four times the normal Elonian or Human lifespan.”

  “Wow. I want some, Cap.”

  “What about healing wounds?”

  “At higher healing rates. Obviously, any cells completely removed cannot be healed. But the nanites will accelerate the replacement process.”

  “There’s a lot of upside here, people.”

  “The only downside is the personal invasion.”

  “Ya, Wee-One. But it’s only Iggy. I have no trouble with that.”

  “Vidhee. Would you work with Igaklay to put together the first batches of nanites?”

  Everyone sat for no more than five seconds.

  “I have consulted with Igaklay. Igaklay had consulted with Buster. We can have the first batches for both Humans and Elonians coming off of the printers this afternoon.”

  “You been eavesdropping, Tinman?”

  “Yes, Wrenchy. Very interesting.

  “Who will be the first subjects?”

  “I, of course.”

  “No, Mahi. You are too important. You are needed for the safety of Griffin and its crew. Not just me. However, I am just a Lady. With no real contributions. I should be the first.”

  “No, Anyl. I can’t allow that. You are the voice of Elonia. You are very important.”

  “Thank you for those kind words, Keiko.”

  “I agree with Keiko. One of the Guardsmen? Tribune Ambakai?”

  “Same problem, Cap. Griffin protection. I hate to say it. But, Guppy. He should be the first fish in the barrel.”

  “Funny, Mack. But he is our gunner.”

  “True. Which we don’t need for our next test runs. We’ll just be testing the flit kits and the dark matter shields. By the time we head back to the Federacy, we’ll know if he’s ducky.”

  “I can agree to that.

  “I’ll be the Human Guinee pig.”

  “No, Keiko. You are the voice for Humanity. If I am not to test these nanites, then you cannot, either.”

  “I agree with the Her Ladyship. That is going to be hard to get used to saying.”

  “Well, since, Master Varrini can replace me, I guess I’m it.”

  “Mack. You volunteering for the Human side?”

  “Like I said, Master Varrini can pick up my slack. So, ya. I guess you could say that. But, I have some ideas.”

  “Spit them out.”

  “I want Vidhee monitoring me and Guppy. And when Buster gets back, him too.”

  “Goes without saying, Mack.”

  “No, I mean deep, Iggy. You say that you are in constant contact with the nanites. Regardless of distance.”

  “Yes Mack. Through Quant-Com technology.”

  “You put that tech in the armrest of King Kaporine’s throne. Can you do it for your mailbox tablet?”

  “Yes, Mack.”

  “Good. Can you have your com signals with my and Gopai’s nanites pass through your mailbox? Let Vidhee monitor right alongside? And Buster?”

  “Yes, Mack. But that isn’t needed.”

  “I know. But you know about how us Humans and Elonians worry. We talked about this. Ya gatta let us have our emotions, good and bad. Let Vidhee and Buster keep an eye on things.”

  “Ok. But, this means that, when everything works out, you and everyone else will be free to leave. After you saw what I did, you can leave me behind.”

  “No, Iggy. We don’t leave you behind. We don’t punish people for mistakes. Even your doozie. You go with us. You screwed up. But you owned up. So, all is good.”

  “I promised, Igaklay. You get to visit the Federacy. Be one of our Den.”

  “That sounds so great, Captain Marston!”

  “But, you can’t mess with us, Iggy. Just enough nanites to do what you said.”

  “Just that! Nothing more! I won’t make you go away, like I did my creators!”

  “I know you won’t, Igaklay. We trust you.”

  “Thank you, Keiko.”

  “When will the nanites be ready?”

  “I have been working on them while we talked. The first designs are done. Vidhee and Buster are reviewing them now. Once they approve, I can start printing them.”

  “Vidhee? Buster?”

  “That is correct, Captain. I’d say, another thirty minutes. Then we will be ready for production.”

  “Testing?”

  “Before dinner time, Captain. Ig
aklay agrees.”

  “Well, Mack. Go get Gopai. Let him know that he’s been volunteered.”

  “Ya, Cap. Two lab rats coming right up.”

  Chapter 17

  Onboard Wisdom Seeker

  “It is very strange looking forward and not seeing Wisdom Seeker’s flex rod.”

  “It is a different view,” Lieutenant Lumahani responded. “If everything goes smoothly, this will be our permanent view.

  “Here’s hoping that this view is permanent.”

  “Well, I need to check on our engineering team’s progress. I hear that the jump drive is almost ready Lieutenant Banajin, you have command.”

  Lieutenant Banajin, Lead Pilot, now acting Sub-Captain, saluted and moved to the Captain’s chair.

  The installation of the jump drive had taken more than the allotted two weeks. With the removal of the flex rod, rewiring the pilot circuitry, the de-commissioning of the massive gravitonic generators, Cansina’s engineering team ended up having almost more than they could handle. Finally, after almost a month of sleepless nights, brutal work schedules and quick, sometimes forgotten meals, the forty engineers slowly shuffled into the deck five conference room. With ears flat and tails dragging, all moved around and dropped into whatever seat was available.

  Being a Synthetic, Buster didn’t experience the bone-deep fatigue which the Elonian engineers displayed. Standing at the head of the table, he waited for the weary team to get settled in. looking to his right and left, he saw his three shadows, the three Royal Guardsmen, stand alert, non-gravitonic weapons at the ready.

  “Igaklay. Are you listening?”

  “Always, Buster.”

  “Vidhee?”

  “Yes, Buster.”

  “Are Mack and Master Varrini listening?”

  “I will contact them, Buster. One moment.”

  While waiting, Buster turned to Veelo and asked the Third-Level A.I., “Have you performed the required internal inspections, as defined in Master Varrini’s installation specifications?”

  “Yes, Legate Buster.”

  “Please wait until Mack and Master Varrini are in communication. Then report your results. Only those which require monitoring, review, repair or replacement.”

  Meeting Veelo for the first time, it had taken almost five minutes for Buster to adjust to dealing with a Third-Level A.I. It took him time to discipline himself into creating concise phrases for commanding Veelo whenever he required a task outside of the A.I.’s area of preset programming. Many times electronic thoughts crossed his artificial mind that, at one time, he was just like Veelo. At those times, he shuddered an electronic shudder at those thoughts.