by Andrew Beery
“Oh, we have,in our own little ways… but it is really just a matter of physics and accounting. Bigger guns make bigger holes—and they have always had more of the bigger guns.”
“Until now,” Stone finished.
“Until now,” Debbu agreed.
Cat silently prayed to the Creator that they were right.
The turbo-lift slowed and began traveling horizontally. Cat’s sensors showed they had traveled about two thousand meters straight down and were now heading due south. The lift finally slowed and stopped after they had covered another kilometer. The door opened to a dark and foreboding chasm.
“Computer! Lights!” Debbu ordered.
Immediately the room they were about to enter was illuminated with a wall-mounted OLED lighting system that provided a slightly redder light than humans were used too but which was consistent with what Naanac received. Off to the right side was a series of computer and communication systems. The left side was filled with storage nooks that seemed to be filled with odd bits of equipment and spare parts.
Debbu made his way over to the equipment nooks and removed a small device. It appeared to be some type of optical interface like what might be used on a high-grade laboratory microscope
“This little guy will allow us to optically decode the message we receive. It’s a holographic interferometer. It will give us a three-dimensional frequency distribution pattern that we will be able to use to read the disarm code when it comes in.”
Cat looked over the device in question.“It fits into that console over on the right. How do we generate the disarm code?”
Debbu fitted the unit into a slot designed to accommodate it in the computer console. Immediately the system lit up. He flipped a series of toggles and a series of soft sounds began to emanate from the system.
“Right, then… A signal has been sent to a receiver on our largest moon. A super computer, buried deep below the surface and hidden from prying Modos eyes, is calculating the current decryption key based on an atomic clock and an algorithm that we paid dearly to acquire. The key will be transmitted shortly, but will only be good for a little while.”
Ricky, who had been remarkably quiet up to this point, looked between Honey and Cat.
“What does‘good for a little while’ mean?”
Debbu made a deep croaking sound.“It’s hard to say. The key has a temporal component which is why the atomic clock is used but even the best clock drifts over time. When the system was setup many years ago, the key was good for about a day. Now it’s certainly less than that, but how much less would be impossible to say.”
“Can we assume bad things will happen if the key fails?” Ricky said.
Debbu croaked again.
“I think,” Honey translated,“that we better assume that’s true.”
“The biggest problem will be getting back to a permissioned terminal to enter the code” Debbu said.“The site I was planning on using was accessed from the tram tunnels… It’s probably under water at this point.”
Cat smiled.“As it turns out, I have access to the primary computer center in the Syndicate headquarters building. Will that suffice?”
Debbu just grinned.
***
Lieutenant Quick-Kick stood beside a large sweet-sap tree near the edge of the clearing by the observatory. Its leaves had begun to turn brown with the changing of the season. The lieutenant’s Modos Syndicate battle fatigues had transformed to match the trees around him. This alone would have raised the eyebrows of his fellow soldiers… if they had had eyebrows.
Despite appearances, Quick-Kick was not a member of the Modos Syndicate. He was an agent for the secretive overlords called the Uruk. As a result he had access to technology that was in many ways superior to that of the GCP’s Heshe benefactors. Oh, he recognized the Uruk’s ancient foe’s finger prints on this so-called Galactic Coalition. It smelled of Heshe.
He signaled his Commander, Fleet Captain Dry-Bait onboard the Uruk Battle Cruiser Retribution. His quantum-entangled communication system was part of a comprehensive series of biomechanical enhancements that had been made for his person. In point of fact, where most Modos established a symbiotic relationship with a dumbed-down Suhtii host, his Bearephant was in fact a highly advanced and battle-ready android equipped with sophisticated cloaking technology that would fool even the best medical scanners.
The Retribution acknowledged his hail.
“Lieutenant Quick-Kick, reporting in,” he said, crisply.
“Go ahead, Lieutenant,” a voice on the other end of the channel said.
“I’ve followed the Heshe augment to the rebel’s communication facility north of Harromog. They have entered the facility and engaged the rebel’s encoder. Per protocol I’ve intercepted and invalidated the disable code.”
“One moment, Lieutenant... The captain will be with you shortly.”
Quick-Kick leaned back against the tree. He closed his eyes and followed the progress of the five who entered the observatory using his fully cloaked Uruk ENOs. The group was discussing how to use the invalid codes they had just received. It was important that he receive instructions quickly, because, should those codes be used, the result would be the destruction of this world. While that might indeed be the ultimate outcome of the current conflict, it was not a decision typically entrusted to lieutenants.
A gruff voice joined the commlink.“Captain Dry-Bait here… what’s your situation, Lieutenant?”
“Sir, I’m stationed just outside the facility and have the occupants under observation remotely. They have an invalid disable code for the planet’s sterilization system and are about to utilize it.”
“That would not be a good thing, Lieutenant. The Overlords are not ready to write off this system yet. I would encourage you to do something about it.”
“Yes, sir. That’s all I needed to know. I’d like to take the opportunity to deal with the augment as well. Can I assume I have your permission to proceed?”
“Capture her if you can. Eliminate her if you cannot.”
***
“It’s coming through,” Debbu said, in a greatly relieved voice. The critical key code they had been waiting for was finally appearing in the holographic viewer. The decoded text was a 512 character string that was a combination of Naanac numbers and letters.
Debbu inserted a small dongle into the decoder. The device transferred the string to the memory stick. Pulling it out, he turned to face the others.
“I believe we are ready.”
Cat’s AI had analyzed and catalogued everything in the immediate vicinity. Therefore she knew the device Debbu held needed to plug into a transmitter designed to accommodate it. The unit in question was located on a panel mounted on the rear wall and was currently powered down. She pointed to the panel.
“We still need to get power to that if we are going to deliver the disarm codes.”
Debbu grunted in agreement.“There should be a power feed we can reroute. My guess is the original shorted out when the primary feed to the facility was cut.”
“Agreed,” Cat said, as she surveyed the room again. She had her AI scan for electro-magnetic signatures that might indicate an active power conduit. She quickly located what she was looking for. Reaching a hand toward a small section of the wall, she extended a finger to touch the wall. Immediately a silver thread flowed from the tip of the finger. Construction nanites under the guidance of Cat’s embedded AI rerouted an energized power conduit to feed power into the dead circuit.
Unknown and unseen by the five in the room, another set of eyes watched everything that was happening.
Chapter Fifteen– Two Ways...
Quick-Kick adjusted the current being fed into the power conduit the female Heshe proxy was tapping into. He had no concern that her technology would be able to detect his tampering. The Uruk tech to which he has access was considerably more advanced.
As predicted, the conduit surged and shorted out. This time Quick-Kick made sure the circ
uit boards associated with the panel fused as well. The resulting shower of sparks that his ENO captured and beamed back to him was quite satisfying.
Cat looked confused for the briefest of moments. Her systems had not detected the surge before it happened and, even more concerning, they had not been able to head it off once the initial surge had begun. Neither situation should have occurred—yet, they had. Cat sent an encrypted message to WhimPy 101. There were questions that needed answers—questions only the Heshe could answer.
Turning to face the others, she gave voice to what they were all thinking.“We just lost our only means of turning off the nukes.”
“That may not be entirely accurate,” Debbu said, while waving smoke out of his eyes.
***
The Uruk Battle Cruiser Retribution engaged its cloak at 23 percent efficiency. This was enough to hide it from the GCP ships in system but there was enough electro-magnetic leakage that the emasculated Heshe weapons platform should have no trouble detecting the Retribution’s movements. Being detected was part of the plan.
Captain Dry-Bait stretched in his command chair on the bridge of his ship. There had been a time when he would have thought that action unusual… especially given that the body he was stretching was essentially an android. He, like the rest of his crew, benefited from the fruits of their close association with the Uruk. The Syndicate’s chairman might think he was in control of the Modos business ventures but Dry-Bait knew better. Critical people within the upper echelons of the Syndicate hierarchy were in fact employees of the Uruk. It was important that they blend in completely… ergo the yawn and stretch.
“Helmsman, move us ahead 0.2c. Bring us to a point exactly opposite Naanac on the far side of the sun. Weapons… I want a low-level Higgs Field inhibitor beam fired toward the solar corona. Make the containment dirty. We want our friends in the GCP to see it. Just enough power to cause the sun to eject some coronal masses. The ship’s AI will modulate the inhibitor so that the ejections work their way around the sun and threaten the planet.”
Dry-Bait sat back when his orders were acknowledged. With any luck the Heshe Platform would take the bait.
***
WhimPy-101 watched the Modos Syndicate ship called Retribution make its way across Naanac’s orbit of the sun. Even at one fifth the speed of light the journey took the better part of two hours. The Modos ship was employing a cloaking technology that effectively hid it from all but the WhimPy platform. As a result WhimPy provided the GCP Armada with an enhanced feed from his sensors. At the same time WhimPy-101 continued to contemplate the disturbing message he had received from Catherine Kimbridge. If she was right, it was entirely possible that the WhimPy platform might be forced to do something his designers had hoped he would never have to do– call for help.
The Retribution began to emit an energy beam that disturbed the local gravitational field near the sun’s corona. The result was immediate and startling. The WhimPy hailed Commodore Ruck.
***
Jason Ruck was sleeping when WhimPy’s hail came in. Groggily he sat up in bed and did the best he could to clear the sleep from his head.
“Ruck here,” he croaked, dryly.
“Commodore, my apologies for interrupting your sleep. There is a situation developing that requires your immediate attention,” WhimPy-101 said.
“Go ahead, 101. What’s up?”
“The Modos are attempting to overload the planetary shields using coronal mass ejecta.”
“Will it work? Will they be able to overload the shields?”
“Unlikely… however there is a very good chance they will destabilize the system’s primary resulting in a nova event.”
“That’s not good,” Jason said, as he pulled on his uniform.
“Indeed. It would be bad,” the massive Heshe AI said.
As Jason headed out the door to his cabin he signaled the Ship’s AI to summon the senior staff to the bridge.
“101, I need options.”
***
Cat look over the shattered landscape. It seemed strange that she should be back where she had started. The Syndicate Headquarters was the location of the central computer node for the entire global network. It was here that she had met Lt. Commander Pete Leander just days before and begun the cybernetic exploration of the Syndicate computer network. Cat’s AI was even now digesting and indexing information streaming in from the nanites that were probing the network.
Private Stone scrambled up the embankment to stand next to her. The others had remained on the Honey Dipper which was heading back up to the WhimPy in orbit. She had elected to take the soldier with her because his Mark Six meant he had the strength and speed to keep up with her. Ricky had dropped them off a kilometer short of their goal because of intense fighting near the headquarters building.
“The fighting seems to be moving toward us, Admiral.”
Cat nodded without saying a word. She had noticed the same thing. A group of armored vehicles was working its way toward a group of rebels. Cat had already contacted the GCP Marines operating in this section of the city. They were on their way to support the local fighters. The locals however were going to need help before they arrived.
“We are going to have to slow them down a little. You up for some fun?”
“Just give the word, Admiral,” the private said, eagerly.
Cat did a quick inventory of their weapons.“I don’t think our kinetics are going to have much of an impact on armor. Our pointers are only good against biologics so they won’t help either. We may need to get more creative.”
“I have four grenades and a bunker-buster in my pack.”
“Those will help,” Cat acknowledged.“Our marines have been dropping tanks in holes by creating sudden chasms using demolition charges. Unfortunately after about the fifth time we did this our opponents got wise to the trick and now are using ground-penetrating sonar to avoid potential hazard zones.”
“So, ma’am, if the goal is to slow them down, can’t we just engage them in a series of quick firefights and then just change our AO before they can fire back?”
Cat began to scan the adjacent buildings using her AI and enhanced senses. She had her systems conduct a structural analysis looking for potential weak spots.
“It’s not a bad idea… except that our area of operation is limited to line-of-sight with these weapons. I’m not at all sure we’ll be able to change our AO before they can get a couple of shots off in our direction. Given that they are firing explosive shells, plasma beams, and three-kilo kinetics, they don’t even need to hit us directly to seriously inconvenience our personal shields.”
“Sorry, ma’am. I hadn’t thought it through,” the young man apologized.
“It’s just the two of us, Anthony,” Cat said, kindly.“I encourage my people to freely exchange ideas. You’re no exception.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he answered, while peeking over a section of collapsed building.
“So…,” Cat said, while shifting her position to point to a building off to the right.“There are typically two ways to engage an opponent who is stronger than you. First, you can use their strength against them… or second you can outsmart them.” She tagged a section of the wall across the street with a red laser pointer from her rifle.“I want you to place a charge just to the left of that beam by the door on the building across the street.”
As Private Stone moved to hand place a grenade in the crevasse Cat had indicated, he asked,“So which method are we going to use?”
Cat smiled.“Both.”
***
Sergeant Broke-Fin barked orders to his squad.“Hammers three and four take point. One and two cover their flank. Sonics on maximum. We should be the only Syndicate forces in the area… so if you hear so much as a leaf-tipper grunt… frag it with your primary turret and then cover the scatter with your plasma gun.”
“Sarge… How do we know if the people we are hearing are rebels or civilians?”
“Why,
private, it’s actually quite simple,” Broke-Fin answered glibly.“If they make noise, we treat them like fighters… if they don’t then we shoot them anyway.”
Before any more could be said, a pinging sound emanated from the sensor panel in front of the private. The private, who was in Hammer One, quickly confirmed the others had detected something as well. Hammer One currently occupied a rear position. The sensor arrays on all four armored vehicles were detecting movement in a building just to their right. It was impossible to tell because of the acoustics how many people were in the building but the sound of heavy equipment moving was unmistakable.
“Everybody, listen up. Use your sonics to target the enemy. Light’m up on my mark. Mark!”
As one the four heavily armored Syndicate vehicles fired at the building from which the sounds of activity had apparently been detected. Half a block away a silver figure smiled and fired her own plasma rifle at a target barely one hundred meters from the four armored vehicles. At first nothing happened, but then there was a small explosion as a hidden grenade exploded. The damage it did to the building was negligible, compared to the damage already done; however, it set into motion a series of events that were far more impressive.
The Syndicate onslaught effectively destroyed a primary support for the building. The grenade that Cat triggered destroyed the secondary support. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the building began to collapse. In the process it buried the four Syndicate armored vehicles which struggled, unsuccessfully to clear the area before the buildings collapsed. Cat’s Heshe-enhanced hearing heard the armored vehicle’s sergeant swearing up a storm as he and his men were buried. Their vehicles would protect them but they were not going anywhere soon.
Cat signaled Private Stone on his commlink. He was located on a very specific rooftop about a hundred meters from the action”
“You okay, Private?”
“Affirmative, Admiral. I’m still not sure why you needed me to stand at this exact spot, and I sure as heck don’t know what just happened. Why did they just bury themselves?Seems kind’a foolish.”