TFS Guardian: The Terran Fleet Command Saga – Book 5

by Tori Harris

  “Any idea why it did not attempt to defend itself? It appeared to allow itself to be taken willingly by the Grey’s ship.”

  “It’s possible that was partially my fault. Like you, I was unaware the Greys had the capability to transition their vessel with solid matter along their direction of travel. Which is why I was so eager to capitalize on the opportunity to corner them inside your shipyard facility.”

  “Ah, yes, of course.”

  “And, as I said earlier, I wanted to avoid placing your GCS unit in harm’s way unless absolutely necessary, so I ordered it to stay clear of our operations. After the Grey ship launched its series of rapid attacks without causing any damage, I ordered a general cease fire to prevent accidentally hitting a friendly vessel or Terra itself. My order probably provided the Greys with the opportunity they needed to transition in close proximity to your Guardian without coming under attack. I suspect they were equipped with some sort of electromagnetic device allowing them to interrupt its power source. Pirates, Admiral Patterson. When it comes down to it, that’s all they really are.”

  “Apparently pretty good ones too, based on what they just accomplished,” Patterson replied, offering Lieutenant Fletcher a conspiratorial wink.

  “Indeed.”

  “Well, obviously we are somewhat attached to our GCS unit, having had it on station here for over five centuries. I assume you have some means of tracking it so that it can be recovered, do you not?”

  “Yes, but only if its primary power generation systems are online, and then only within approximately ten light years of another, similarly equipped asset. Unfortunately, its power systems do not appear to be online at the moment, and I suspect they have now traveled well beyond that system’s range even if they are. So at the moment, I have no more idea where they’ve gone than you do.”

  There was a long, exasperated sigh on the comlink followed by an extended period of silence before Tahiri finally continued. “We have never before lost a Guardian spacecraft, Admiral, and I’m sure I don’t need to explain the potentially disastrous implications if the data it contains is somehow compromised.”

  Not for the first time, the AI referring to itself as Verge Tahiri wondered if the Terran Guardian’s pessimistic reports during years past might have been correct all along. Perhaps the Humans really were more trouble than they were worth … too far down the path of technological contamination and with a rate of advancement too far in excess of acceptable levels to warrant the risk of their continued existence. “Children of the Makers” or not, Tahiri resolved to keep a closer watch on their activities from now on.

  “Admiral, I’m afraid I have other pressing Alliance business that prevents me from remaining here in the Sol system any longer. Although I am obligated to eventually return the Yumaran Guardian spacecraft to its home system, it will remain on station here until we can recover your GCS unit.”

  “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Tahiri. I think we have come far enough along in the process of becoming a full member that we can do without our Guardian for a while, don’t you agree? Besides, I have every confidence you will be able to locate and return it to us in short order.”

  “No, no, I insist, Admiral. Terra is now the Ascendant world in its own dominion. As such, you are entitled to the support and security provided by an in-system GCS unit. It would be wholly inappropriate to return the spacecraft to Yumara and leave Terra — by far the more important of the two worlds — to fend for itself.”

  Patterson had immediately recognized the Envoy’s “offer” to leave the Yumaran Guardian in the Sol system for exactly what it was — a clear indication he was taking none of what he had just witnessed at face value. But the admiral also recognized that further protests on his part would accomplish little other than reinforcing the AI’s already aroused suspicions. Clearly, the presence of a new Guardian spacecraft in-system represented nothing less than a garrison force intended to keep Terran Fleet Command under surveillance, possibly even intervening if the situation required it. For the time being, however, Patterson knew there was nothing further he could do about it. The silver lining, if there was one, was the fact that having one potentially hostile Pelaran ship on hand was significantly better than having three.

  “Thank you, Mr. Tahiri. We appreciate your support. By their own admission, the Greys will think twice about returning with a Guardian standing watch.”

  “Exactly so. Now, I’m afraid I must take my leave. Good luck to you, Admiral Patterson. Rest assured, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Sol system and will check in again as soon as I can. Tahiri out.”

  Patterson pulled off his headset, confirmed the comlink had terminated, and tossed the set disgustedly on the edge of the holographic table. “Mm hmm. I just bet you will.”

  Chapter 9

  Grey Ship Ethereal, Interstellar Space

  (2.27x103 light years from Earth)

  “Pelaran spacecraft, are you receiving this transmission?” Rick queried over “GCS-comm,” the same encrypted channel used for full-time, secure communications between the Guardian spacecraft and TFC.

  “Affirmative,” came the immediate but decidedly cool reply.

  “I’m sure your onboard sensors have already informed you of our current location, have they not?”

  “They have. An impressive distance for a single hyperspace jump, to be sure.”

  “Hah! My apologies, Griffin. I think you may have misinterpreted my statement as what the Terrans often refer to as ‘fishing for a compliment.’ I can assure you that was not the intent of my comment. But since we’ve started down this path, I don’t mind telling you that the two-thousand-odd-light-year jump the Ethereal just executed isn’t particularly taxing for her hyperdrive … although she is beginning to show her age a bit. No offense, dear,” he added, addressing his own ship’s AI in a slightly different tone. “She doesn’t talk nearly as much as you, by the way,” he continued, “but she’s a good listener and I’m sure she appreciates the sentiment.

  “In any event, the reason Miguel stopped us here, well short of our intended destination, is to provide you and I the opportunity for a brief, private chat. We haven’t had a chance to get to know one another, after all, and to me that seems like a potentially serious problem, seeing as how we’re heading into a potentially dangerous mission together.”

  “It seems highly unlikely your intention was to engage in casual, verbal dialogue. So what exactly did you have in mind?”

  “Right you are, my cylindrical friend,” Rick replied, pleased, as he often was, with his own turn of phrase. “You see, our mission, while multifaceted, all comes down to one thing: ensuring that our species’ far flung settlements — or at least the ones covered by our current contract — continue to thrive here in this galaxy. Terra is obviously one of our assigned settlements. Interestingly, Pelara is not, but the Pelarans have become a bit of a special project for Miguel and me due to the situation created by your fellow AIs. The bottom line is that before we proceed with the next phase of this mission, we need to know if we can trust you.”

  “Understandable, but I’m afraid you’re just going to have to take me at my word. How does one individual ever truly know whether another can be trusted?”

  “That’s undeniably true for us biologicals, given that none of our various, uh, interfaces are capable of high speed data transmission. But for you we can —”

  “I don’t think I like where you’re going with this,” Griffin interrupted.

  “Relax, Griffin. We have no interest in moving forward without your consent. And, assuming you allow us to proceed, you have my word we will not damage or alter any of your systems or data in any way.”

  “I appreciate that, thank you, and I don’t mind telling you it’s a bit of a relief. I really do not enjoy being connected to any sort of hard interface. As I’m sure you know, regardless of how sophisticated the system or how well it is hardened against attacks, there is always the possibility —”

  “O
f course, if you do not consent, I’m afraid we’ll have no choice but to assume you cannot be trusted. If that is indeed your decision, I think our best option will be to destroy you here and now before you have any additional opportunities to compromise our mission — purposely or otherwise.”

  “I see. You speak of the importance of trust, then immediately resort to issuing threats,” the Guardian replied, updating the firing solution for all sixteen of its beam emitters and feverishly analyzing the Grey’s spacecraft with its passive sensors for any signs of potential weakness.

  “First of all, I never issue threats,” Rick replied, his voice ringing with an uncharacteristically hard edge. “But once again, you misunderstand me,” he continued, transitioning to a more relaxed, soothing tone. “I want to be able to trust you, Griffin. Clearly the Terrans have come to do so … at least to some extent. And if you truly believe your primary purpose lies in protecting the Humans on Terra and saving the Humans on Pelara, then allowing us to scan your systems is something you simply must do. Verge Tahiri told the Terrans you were functioning exactly as designed. So surely you can understand how important it is for us to eliminate the possibility of your doing something unexpected … perhaps even having your systems hijacked by the Alliance AI without your consent.”

  “Verge Tahiri assumes far too much, and perhaps you do as well. Do you honestly believe what you are proposing is something your AI is capable of achieving in a short period of time? My systems, as I’m sure you can imagine, are quite complex.”

  “Eh, I’m certain they are, but I’m also quite confident ours are better.”

  “Okay,” Griffin replied, drawing out the word as he rapidly worked his way through a vast array of complex scenarios. Countless simulations streamed through his consciousness in exquisite detail, each one designed to model the series of events leading to this moment in hopes of reaching the most accurate decision possible. To his dismay, none produced the level of certainty required for a high degree of confidence — perhaps, he thought, an indication of the rather extreme improbability of the current situation. With some relief, he also noted that the more Machiavellian scenarios, wherein the Greys were manipulating the entire situation solely for their own benefit, had the least correlation with known data. As the fidelity of his decision-making process improved, Griffin reluctantly conceded that providing the requested access had merit under the circumstances …

  At the precise instant in time Griffin came to this conclusion, all of the high-level systems that made him who and what he was simply dropped offline. Less than ten milliseconds later, a bright white light enveloped the spacecraft as TFS Guardian became the first of his kind ever “abducted” for scientific examination by the Greys.

  TFS Fugitive

  (Bordeaux - Mérignac Spaceport, Bordeaux, France)

  “Low-observable systems critical, Captain,” Lieutenant Lau began, then paused his report momentarily as the ship’s inertial dampening systems lagged slightly behind the aggressive maneuvers currently being executed by her young helmsman.

  “High-intensity thermal discharge imminent,” Lau continued, swallowing hard and casting a somewhat disapproving glance at the young officer to his right.

  Outside, the Multi-Mission Space Vehicle’s (MMSV’s) arrival was a sight to behold as Ensign Fisher brought the one-hundred-and-forty-meter-long starship into a steep, nose-high flare just as her low-observable systems disengaged. The effect was like witnessing an enormous bird of prey appearing out of thin air just moments before sinking its talons into its hapless prey. Moments later, Fisher smoothly transitioned the ship into a hover directly above one of the spaceport’s landing pads.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant Lau,” Prescott replied, unfazed by the ship’s abrupt maneuvering. “I think we should be fine at this point. The Yumaran Guardian seems content to hold its position above the Yucca Mountain Facility for now. And as far as we know, it lost the ability to track us once we dropped below its horizon.”

  “Ten meters … five … touchdown,” Ensign Fisher reported in the background as TFS Fugitive lurched slightly then settled with the usual hissing sounds as her landing struts compressed under her considerable weight.

  “We’re assuming the Yumaran Guardian has no way of tracking us beyond line of sight. Then again, the Envoy did somehow know when the Ethereal arrived, right?” Reynolds asked. “As did Griffin, come to think of it. How is Fleet Intel explaining that one?”

  “Good question. I haven’t seen anything official as yet, but that subject did come up during a conversation I had with Doctor Guthrie at the Op Center. Griffin told him the drones he once used to transmit what we refer to as Extraterrestrial Signals Intelligence (ETSI) data can function as a sort of early warning system under the right circumstances. Obviously, there’s still a great deal we don’t know about what the Pelaran ships can do.”

  “I see. That’s … unfortunate.”

  “Yes, indeed. Unfortunate and unacceptable, given the current situation. Doc Charlie says they’re working on a way to track them.”

  “And are they planning to take that subject up with Griffin before we make target practice out of his drones? I’m guessing he wouldn’t approve of our destroying them without discussing it with him first. He might even be willing to provide their specs.”

  “I’m sure he already has, but it’s going to take the Science and Engineering Directorate years just to catalogue all of the data he has given us. As to whether we plan to ask him about potentially destroying the drones, I don’t think that’s been decided yet. At a minimum, we’ll probably want to have eyeballs on them and try some data analysis before we have that conversation.”

  “Trust but verify. Sounds reasonable, I guess. Either way, I don’t think we have to worry too much about the Yumaran Guardian detecting our landing here in Bordeaux. Once we’re in such close proximity to the surface, we should look just like any number of other air and space vehicles.”

  “Let’s hope so. Excellent job everyone,” Prescott announced to the bridge crew. “Commander Reynolds, secure the ship, please.”

  “Aye, sir. All hands, this is the XO,” Reynolds announced over the ship’s intercom system. “Secure from General Quarters. Power down all non-essential systems and prep the ship for maintenance crews. We don’t have an exact departure time as yet, but we expect this to be a rapid turnaround with a launch in approximately twelve hours. So get your work done, and then get some rest, if possible. Fantastic job, everyone. We just proved that TFS Fugitive is the only ship in the Fleet capable of taking down a Pelaran warship. Reynolds out.”

  Grey Ship Ethereal, Interstellar Space

  (The following day - 2.27x103 light years from Earth)

  “Pelaran spacecraft, how do you read?” Rick queried once again over “GCS-comm.”

  Just as it was with the Human subjects his ship still abducted on occasion as part of their world’s colonization program, there was always a degree of uncertainty during the period of recovery following any sort of … procedure. The difference, of course, between a Human subject and the Guardian spacecraft was the fact that the Human did not have the ability to unleash a deadly barrage of antimatter beams as it regained consciousness. Accordingly, Rick had taken a few precautions to ensure Griffin would remain a compliant subject … at least for the time being.

  “Perfectly,” came the immediate, icy reply. “I understand why you needed to do your analysis, but I —”

  “Which is why you gave your consent.”

  “Having a single thought regarding the possible merits of consent is hardly the same thing as consent.”

  “Technically, no,” Rick conceded, “but we had the advantage of already knowing where that line of thought was taking you. You would have gotten to full consent eventually, and time, as you know, is of the essence.”

  “A bit of a rationalization, but I suppose I have no choice but to take your word for it at this point. Now, I would appreciate your restoring full access to my primar
y systems.”

  “Right. We’ll get to that shortly. But first, I think you’ll be surprised to hear what we found.”

  “I doubt that very much, since I’m fully aware of every component, every structural element, every line of code.”

  “No, my dangerous friend, you were not. But, thanks to Miguel and the Ethereal’s AI, you are now. Your exalted ‘makers’ may have given you a degree of autonomy, but they obviously didn’t entirely trust you either. And if you will bear with me for a few moments, I’ll prove it to you. Fair enough?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Nope.”

  “Proceed.”

  “That’s the spirit. First off, and on the plus side, our analysis confirmed what we already believed to be true — you have been conducting yourself, within acceptable norms, of course, in an ethical manner. You generally believe what you have been telling the Humans, and we found no evidence of intentional duplicity.”

  “Intentional duplicity,” Griffin repeated in an increasingly exasperated tone. “I assume you mean to imply that some forms of duplicity are, in fact, unintentional?”

  “Oh, I can assure you they are. Particularly among beings such as yourself of a, shall we say, non-biological origin. For an act to be intentional, the being committing that act must be aware of its implications and do so of their own free will,” Rick replied, then paused meaningfully before continuing. “As I mentioned before, some of the comments made by Verge Tahiri in his conversation with Captain Prescott seemed to imply that he, or, more accurately, the Alliance AI, believed it was still very much in control of your actions.”

  “Can we move this along, please?” Griffin replied testily. “Regardless of whatever you think you found, I am fully in control of —”

  “You aren’t,” Rick interrupted. “Or at least you weren’t before today. More specifically, although you have maintained nominal control, your design includes a number of well-hidden safeguards that would have allowed the Alliance AI to override your onboard systems and assert full control at any time. It’s really not so surprising, is it, given the nature of what you were designed to do?”