by Will Crudge
“QET is coming up, Master Chief.” Petty Officer Wilkins called out from his coms control station… a station that was meant to be only manned when AI’s couldn’t operate the complex signal arrays for any reason… such as their current situation.
“I Talley, Wilkins.” The Master Chief replied, and turned his head to see the luminous blue light emerge from the QET platform. The image of Consul Gerhardt appeared.
“Master Chief, I enacted the Tightrope Protocol because my escort ship was taken over by rogue AI’s, and my ship was attacked.” Gerhardt said, betraying no emotion.
“I see, Sir. We experienced multiple layers of resistance from our own AI’s when we put it into play. The rest of the taskforce vessels reported similar resistance as well.” The Master Chief stood with his chest out and his arms behind his back.
“The Crimson Alliance has somehow infiltrated our AI’s with some sort of undetectable… entities of their own. I managed to capture one in its node, strictly by sure luck, and I’ve had it delivered to Unum for analysis. They’ve confirmed they have a countermeasure, however it can’t be broadcast via QET. It has to be embedded directly into a functioning AI, and implemented directly.” Gerhardt frowned as he said the words. He knew that the Fleet was so stretched thin across UAHC controlled space that it could take weeks to deliver the countermeasure to the entire force.
“That’s not good news, Sir… But it makes sense now.” The Master Chief rubbed his chin as he considered the implications. “Now that the protocol is in effect, we’ve been receiving outdated data bursts. These bursts must have been halted by any AI’s controlling coms. Some of these reports are weeks old.”
“Exactly. I fear the Crimson Fleet is enacting some sort of preamble to a kinetic attack. My civilian counterparts can no longer ignore this, and an emergency Quorum session has been ordered. It’s highly likely that our peace time status will be lifted very soon…. But in the mean-time I cannot revoke the standing order at piracy interdiction operations.” Gerhardt closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration.
“We haven’t heard anything filter down through the Admiralty, Sir. Please forgive my ignorance… but shouldn’t the Fleet HQ be filling us in?” The Master Chief was noticeably cautious with his words. Gerhardt knew it was unorthodox for the Military Consul to address an Acting Commodore directly. Normally, an Acting Commodore answered directly to an Acting Rear Admiral in control of the squadron’s assigned battle group.
“Yes, Master Chief… I fully understand your position.” Gerhardt said with an expression of empathy. “I can’t reach out to every part of our fragmented fleet without the risk of Headquarters being alerted. After all, their AI’s are still active, and the Acting Fleet Marshall won’t respond to QET hails. I have to exercise caution. The Fleet HQ could be compromised, and as long as they can’t receive data bursts from the ship AI’s, then they won’t be aware that they no longer have control of a significant portion of our forces.”
“I… I understand, Sir.” The Master Chief’s words wore solemn. The implications were heavy. He knew that the entire fleet was vulnerable, and he was in Acting Command of one of the more concentrated Fleet formations for light years.
“Multiple contacts! On screen!” The voice was so abrupt, that the Master Chief had no clue who called it out. The ghostly image of Gerhardt turned around and viewed the screen as if he were physically present. All other eyes locked onto the forward display in concert with one another.
“IDENT?” Sergeant Major Estrada chimed in.
“No transponder signals… too far out of broadcast range.” The petty Officer sounded off.
“Or they’re in wartime posture and aren’t interested in broadcasting their disposition, more likely.” Gerhardt surmised.
Gods and Generals
Location: Unum Headquarters Facility, CIC, Unum Planetoid
Date Time: Post Interstellar 07/30/4201 1300HRS Unum Standard Zulu Time
System: Celeste System
Val scanned the room and took a mental note of who was present. Kara, Jimma, and General Skarsgard stood in the center of the array of holographic displays, and all seemed to train their eyes on Val as if to anticipate what the man would say.
“Where’s Darius?” Jimma turned to Kara.
“He should be here.” Kara shrugged.
“I’m right here.” Darius voice boomed out from across the room. He was walking, with Shadow in tow, from one of the numerous archways that fed into the room.
“Good. This will have to be quick… No time to waste.” Val said as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together.
“It will be… I promise.” Darius said as he and Shadow closed the distance between him and the others. He stopped and noticed a new face. He had the same uniform as Kara, but adorned with two rows of four stars on either side of his collar. “We haven’t met. I’m Darius.”
“Yes, of course.” The General nodded and the two men shook hands.
“I’m General Skarsgard. Commander of Unum Defense Forces.”
“Unum Defense… what?” Darius’ voice revealed he was slightly taken back by the General’s assertion. He looked at Kara, and then to Val, and back to the General.
“I’ve enacted a clause in our security contract…. Our good friends here…” Val shot a quick glance at both Kara and then the General, “are now fully commissioned officers of Unum.”
“That’s one hell of a contract!” Darius huffed.
“This is why Unum never had an official military on the books… because we have one on-call at any given moment.” Val smiled. “It makes us less threatening to the rest of the human sphere. After all, the organization that cranks out all the best tools of war would be a juicy strategic target if we had standing forces.”
“Once again, Val… your foresight amazes me.” Darius gave him an approving nod.
“I’ve had four millennia of experience as a human, my son.” Val said, and then stepped away.
- My son –
Nobody had ever spoken those words to Darius before. Living as a ward of the state, and never knowing his real parents, the words made Darius feel more vulnerable than he would like.
“Good, here we have our final guest…” Val turned to the sounds of two guards walking the former Captain of the Cerberus towards them.
“Go to hell!” The vanquished Captain Zedd spat.
“You’re one of the more seasoned ship captains in your fleet, are you not?” Darius spoke. The Crimson officer seemed taken back by his assertion.
“Yes, but there are a few more that are senior to me.”
“But… among them, you’re the only one who’s had experience with being an acting commodore… and with a high rating as such, am I right?” Val interjected.
“What of it?” The defeated man scoffed.
“Well, it would seem your commander has made a terrible error. He allowed a UAHC Frigate to catch a glimpse of your main fleet. It’s likely that you’ll be next in line to replace him. We know your fleet is on the move, and your admiralty will have to field promote a successor.” Darius narrowed his eyes as he spoke.
“Successor?!” The man laughed with no shortage of irony in his expressions. “Executed. That’s what I’ll be facing. My ship was captured by two idiots, a traitor, and a gigantic house cat!”
Darius looked over at Shadow with a smile, as the big cat growled in response. “Well, that’s only true if your ship logs had not been altered…” He then studied the Crimson Captain’s face for any change in his expression… There was none.
“And you expect me to believe that the rest of my bridge crew, and hundreds of disgraced marines would vouch for that lunacy?”
“Your marines have been in stasis since we breached your dock. And your bridge crew have been in stasis since their capture…. Between the doctored logs, and their own glorious captain rescuing them from capture… I’m sure they’ll be speaking highly of you.” Val answered this time.
“But… but
why would I even begin to believe any of this is true?” The man now was more perplexed than defiant.
“Because, I am not in the business of making enemies of my clients.” Val asserted. “I got my people back… That’s all I wanted. Now you’re free to take your ship out of this system and return as a triumphant hero. No harm will come to you, and I trust… as you’ll be the next Crimson Fleet Commander that you’ll recognize that Unum space has no strategic value, if you catch my drift. We all win. We all benefit. No bloodshed.”
“Very well… It would seem I have little choice.” The Captain looked around at the two guards, and then shot a glance down to the wrist restraints he bore.
“Good. Then safe travels!” Val gestured to the guards to take him away. Everyone stood silently until they disappeared from view.
“You think he bought it?” Kara asked.
“No… And that’s what I’m betting on.” Darius looked at her with a smile. Kara had a perplexed look on her face. “But, he doesn’t have a choice if he wants to live. Impending death is a strong motivator.”
“Well, ok then.” Kara shrugged.
“Kara,” Val said, and she turned to meet his gaze. “We’ve gotten a disturbing message from one of your father’s old friends on Tangine Station.”
Kara’s face looked as if it was drained of blood all at once. She stood stone faced. “Go on.”
“Your presence is requested. Apparently an old friend of yours has been murdered.” Val said with a tone of deep empathy.
“Who?” It was all she could work herself up to say.
“Jason Gunnar.” Val frowned. “He was found shot… but the disturbing part is that it appears to have been by his own people.”
“What?!” Kara was incredulous. “That’s not possible?”
“There’s more.” Val spoke with a serious tone of voice. “The ballistics scan show it was a Crimson standard caliber slug, but with the rifling ratio of a standard security pistol.”
“That could only mean…” Darius started to speak, and then paused to consider the implications.
“It could only mean that the security personnel on station have been infiltrated by Crimson agents.” Val frowned. “You’ll need to use Unum’s hyper gate. We don’t have a direct route, so the sooner you leave the better.”
“I’ll go with her.” Jimma said. “She needs back up, and sending Unum troops would just raise too many red flags. We have no idea what we’ll encounter when we get there.”
Darius fought the urge to volunteer to go with his new found love. It struck him how attached they’d gotten in the short time they’d known each other. He had concerns that his feelings were merely lust, or infatuation. He even asked Val’s opinion at one point. The ancient holy man just smiled, and explained that his unique genetic gifts made him experience other people in a more complete and holistic way than most people. He could peer into the whole being of someone he focused on. Darius always knew he was an excellent judgement of character, but in recent months that gift had taken a quantum leap forward.
He managed to allow his objective logic win the day. It wasn’t that he was relegating his emotions… but more so, giving them their own space in his mind. He couldn’t shut himself off from his feelings completely… he couldn’t become humanity’s best hope for survival if he stopped acting like a human.
“I believe this is best.” Darius nodded, and then looked at Kara with empathic eyes. He could see that her feelings were welling up inside as well. Her eyes classed over, and she ran into his arms. “I only wish we could send an armed cruiser in your place.”
“I know.” Kara said as she pulled back slightly in order to see the man’s face. “But… if your only tool is a hammer, then all of your problems will look like a nail!”
Darius’ smile broadened. He felt comforted that she understood the logic. Her mission would require her specific skillsets. She spoke security operations and conventional law enforcement fluently. Besides, her personal connections may be a greater asset than a fully armed dreadnaught.
“You too aren’t going without me!” The voice was unknown to Darius. It sounded scratchy, unhuman, and even artificial. Darius turned in the direction the voice came from and saw another big cat strolling towards them.
“Sasha!” Jimma shouted with glee, and hurried over to embrace the animal. Darius noticed that Sasha was obviously a War Master’s Mount, but at least one hundred kilos less massive than Shadow. Sasha appeared to be a large leopard. She was still large enough for a modest-sized human to ride on, however her exaggerated musculature and bone structure seemed much more subdued. Val had explained that Shadow’s body type was one of the larger of the different species of hyper-intelligent mounts but, up until now, Darius had no frame of reference.
“We might have to take two LRF’s now!” Kara huffed jokingly. Then she walked over and scratched behind Sasha’s ear. “It’s nice to meet you Sasha. So, are you Jimma’s mount?”
Sasha closed her eyes and produced a feline equivalent of a smile as Kara showed the big cat her affections. “No, my dear.” Sasha spoke with her voice module helping to transition her mouth movements and growly vocalizations in to a more human… more feminine tone. “Jimma has only recently earned the title of a War Master. There hasn’t been an opportunity to pair her with a mount of her own.”
“I see.” Kara acknowledge. “So, who are you paired with?”
Jimma gave an awkward side-stare and interjected. “Sasha’s former pairing is now in a higher realm of being.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry.” Kara realized that Sasha’s War Master was deceased.
“No worries, my dear!” Sasha stepped forward and rubbed up on the outside of Kara’s thigh as if she were a simple house-cat showing affection… a house-cat that weighs as much as a Soldier in full armor.
Darius noticed Shadow lumber towards Sasha. He was a silky black mountain of muscle and bottled rage, but Darius could feel the loving thoughts in his companion. Shadow greeted Sasha like only a cat could… They rubbed their massive cheeks and slid their shoulders past one another. Neither spoke a human word… Darius supposed they communicated on a more primordial level. Shadow then slowly made his way back to Darius’ side. The Soldier could feel the tingling sensation in the crown of his own skull as Shadow got closer. It was as if he was sharing in the bonding experience he had just witness.
“One more thing before you go!” Val walked up to Kara with a hovering metallic pallet floating behind him. The three meter long and 1.5 meter wide pallet stopped as Val came to a halt. “I come bearing gifts!”
“Thank you, Father!” Jimma gave him a hug, and then quickly slid something off of the pallet. Darius knew what he was seeing… but it filled him with awe. It was War Master’s Armor. There was nothing modern looking about it… it looked like a blend of ancient Persian, Greek, and even Samurai type armor. But Darius realized he would have to abruptly look away…
Jimma completely removed her Crimson Officer’s uniform… undergarments and all… Darius, the Unum General, and Val respectfully averted their eyes.
“Well, just feel free to get naked wherever, sweetie!” Kara smiled.
“You’re forgetting,” Val spoke towards Kara’s peripheral. “Anyone who’s spent a century undergoing War Master training, doesn’t register fear the same way everyone else does… Which tends to extend to similar emotions, such as self-consciousness.”
“Well, it’s not like Jimma needs to feel self-conscious! She’s totally ripped!” Kara said, and then extended an approving thumbs up towards the –ever less naked- War Master.
“One hundred years of brutal training, and months of Crimson mess halls help keep a girl fit!” Jimma synched the last few straps of her light, leathery armor, and then grabbed an impossibly massive sword off of the pallet. Jimma handled it like it didn’t weigh anything. Darius, and the other gentlemen were now free to turn back around. What he saw was the biggest katana-like sword he had ever seen. He knew it was what
War Masters carried as a ceremonial reminder of how the fundamentals of war never change… regardless of how advanced technology gets. Her armor was obviously not powered, and didn’t appear to have any tech at all. The only modern feature of her complete War Master regalia was a simple multi-function pistol strapped to her left hip.
“And for you, Kara…” Val walked up behind Kara and reached up to the center of her shoulder blades. In his hand was a fist-sized rectangular box with two metallic cylinders jutting from the bottom. Darius recognized it immediately… it was a portable AI node. Val secured it to the receptacle in Kara’s armor.
“It’s about fucking-time I got off of that damned fighter!” Steve’s voice boomed out of Kara’s armor.
“Hey, buddy!” Kara smiled. “I didn’t think it was even possible for a non-brain-rendered AI to be mounted in armor!”
“Of course they can!” Val chuckled. “AI node tech has come a long way… With the right hardware, there’s no functional difference between a manufactured AI, and a rendered one!”
“So, why won’t the UAHC fit non-rendered AI’s into combat suits?” Darius asked. “I’ve always been told that non-rendered AI’s lacked the ability to grasp human instincts as effectively, and therefore it’s more of a liability in combat.”
“That’s an excellent narrative, my son.” Val smiled, and then pulled another node off of the pallet. He walked over to Darius and inserted it into the Soldier’s battle armor. “But you’ll find that a peace-time controlled UAHC government will concoct whatever narrative that justifies saving money!”
“Boom!” Samantha shouted. “I’m free!”
“I’m glad you’re onboard, Sam!” Darius spoke with authenticity… Sam was the closest to family he had ever known. It always bothered him that he couldn’t afford a way to host her in something other than the Doom-Raptor. But his fighter’s ancient processing banks were the only home he could provide his fellow UAHC outcast.