by Tobias Roote
He looked up at Belling who was waiting to catch his eye. He shook his head, a look of desolation on his face. He hadn’t announced what would be bad news: that they had just lost ten thousand souls.
Mike concentrated on the ‘world view’ that he had up on the holodeck, They had named it the holodeck because everyone wanted a well known SF symbol for their control room. It wasn’t a deck though, just a tank with millions and millions of nanites suspended in a weightless Ferris field. It was a particular design invention of the old Fortress General who created it as a weapon, but which all of the scientists found much better peaceful uses for. It forced the field inwards until they all met leaving no leaks. It was an excellent tool and totally invisible.
The view it now contained was of Earth and surrounding space. There were nineteen pulsing green lights scattered around the world, mainly America, Europe and the Far East. Of the nineteen there were two in Africa, one of which was red and steady, unmoving.
“Alter course and head to the following coordinates,” Mike heard Schroeder call to the helmsman, a copy of the coordinates appearing on his tablet in his hand along with course and details of the objective.
Mike tapped his earpiece to activate, then spoke into his collar transmitter. “You’re taking us over Los Angeles?”
Johann’s stilted accent came through, “I will alter course before we get close. I don’t want to fly straight, our current route takes us between all built up areas and keeps us away from the enemy’s target grid - I’m sending you the next two course changes.”
Mike looked at his screen. Johann had worked out a route which would zig and then zag, but still didn’t give the destination.
I think I know where you're going with this, he thought, and marked an area on the tablet and tapped send.
“Yes, that’s where we will end up. At sea and virtually invisible to detection if we raise shields to 100%,” Johann confirmed.
“Submit the plan to the other ARK’s and suggest they follow suit. It’s an excellent idea. I’m glad I kept my fishing rods,” Mike joked, knowing full well that wouldn’t be an option.
They were going to hide at sea, probably at a height of about five thousand feet to minimise the possibility of detection from low flying shuttles, but not high enough to be seen from space. He suspected that Johann had other ideas regarding their defence and let him run with them. He was competent to fly the ARK just as he was.
Not bad really, he thought. Twenty ARKs and only one lost. Nearly two hundred thousand people, mostly technical and agricultural experts as well as artisans in all fields. Sufficient livestock to provide meat and dairy, as well as fields already planted with every possible vegetable and fruit species necessary to form a high quality diet. An underground lake contained fish as well as recreational areas, it also recycled all of their waste with state of the art molecular filters.
Energy was taken care of with the new fusion drives provided by the alien technology and they were close to designing a zero point device that might even exceed that in terms of efficiency and power. All they had to do was stay undetected from the Nubl, and survive.
Those had been his orders from the President of The Space Council. It had been decided that, in the event they were unable to save the planet, these ARKs would provide islands of expertise and sufficient population to be seeded either back on the Earth if it was still habitable or elsewhere, if not.
Mike hadn’t been happy, but saw the sense in it, and the overall plans had been designed by the technical teams on Space Island. A small team was on this ARK, and a comparable one on each of the others. They had a centralised research database with ARK1 and Space Island as well as a new addition of a secret research asteroid in space which had come online in the last few weeks.
He wasn’t thinking about any of this though. He was viewing what everyone else was seeing, the carnage being wrought by the Nubl ships. He also had information they weren’t privy to on his tablet which was regular updates on the state of play in space. It seemed the tide was turning against them and the space fighters were getting a lot of action.
His thoughts turned briefly to his son. He hoped he was giving the Nubl hell. No time to dwell, he refocused his attention..
“Helmsman, what is the power demand running at?”
“We’re at 40% surface power, sir. The most I can push it to is 60% before we begin to get atmospheric vibration.”
“What height are we at?”
“Closing on eight thousand feet, sir.”
Too low, too slow, he thought. “Make it twelve thousand feet and take us to 60%, I want us out of here and in a relatively safe zone as soon as possible,” Mike requested and nodded to Johann.
“Stand by for final course change,” Shroeder ordered.
They would be over the sea in less than an hour. He looked at Belling who was communicating with the other ARKs, then up at the globe and he could see all but three, on his side of the hologram, were out at sea. Of the other three, two were making for mountain ranges where they could remain hidden for months. Good move, he thought.
“Johann, you have the tower,” Mike advised as he decided to do a tour of the town and see what the general feeling was. The vidscreen they had tuned into would have been available to anyone who wanted to watch it. There will be questions, he thought.
“Penny, you’re with me,” he called out to his assistant, who also managed PR and would keep most of the questioners off his back.
“I’m going to take the AG, so we can move quickly,” he told her.
“I agree, it will keep you out of reach of those damned liberals who want us to fight an Interstellar war single-handed instead of running,” she confirmed her agreement for the strategy adopted by the ARK Strategy Council.
“It wasn’t my choice not to arm the ARK,” he reminded her.
“No, but it was a wise decision. It would have forced your hand in trying to defend Earth, or a city, or another group, and this ARK isn’t intended for that. I think President Garner was thinking long-term and I don’t mean a few years either. We could be up here for hundreds of years if they make it uninhabitable down below,” she reminded him.
Mike sighed, he knew she was right. “I know, the thought of living in the sky for the foreseeable future is a frightening concept. However, I think it’s preferable to trying to survive out in space. That, frankly, scares the double crap out of me,” he said.
***
ARK 4 - Silent Running
With no means to aid them, the bridge crew of ARK4 could only watch powerless as the crew of the Watchtower also attempted to gain control of the sphere as it ascended in shielded mode. Unfortunately, the changes made just as the mercenaries broke into the CCC now made the control centre the weakest point of the ARK. To protect it required that Osbourne transfer the launch and navigation utilities meant for the Watchtower and the CCC across to Sedal. It was an emergency measure and the only way that the safety of the thousands of citizens on the ARK could be assured. Osbourne had set a range of criteria where Sedal would automatically give up control of the ARK. He was nothing if not efficient - and fast, his programming ability only held back by his physical limitations, which he had refused to have upgraded.
The secure black hole that Osbourne had created when he upgraded Sedal’s algorithms had put the AI into a completely new walled garden, permitting the AI to work in relative safety, whilst also able to begin controlling conditions outside. However, Osbourne had not managed to defeat XeraC, failing to cleanse the ARK of the transhuman’s presence. Therefore, Sedal could only protect the ARK and its human cargo until he found a way through XeraC’s defences. Osbourne had been aware of Sedal’s animosity towards XeraC, but had run out of time to deal with the issue, leaving it to be resolved by someone else.
So, it became another stalemate within the network of the habitat. This actually served Osbourne’s purpose, if not directly, then by the automated process he had installed that allowed ARK4 to follow the o
ther ARK’s to safety, regardless of XeraC and his mercenaries. Osbourne had taken a gamble that XeraC wouldn’t want to go on a killing spree and turn himself into public enemy ‘numero uno’ with the inhabitants.
XeraC was furious. Now twice thwarted, he threw everything he could at the black hole in the vain hope he could penetrate it and create some kind of access to where Sedal controlled the ARK. He didn’t understand how Osbourne kept getting the better of him. He had a superior intellect and an intimate knowledge of operating systems and languages, yet the interfering scientist on Space Island kept getting past him and he didn’t know how he was achieving it. The problem had always been there whenever new products were introduced by SI for Xerac Industries to develop. Whenever he tried to reverse engineer them, they just failed and he could never see why.
In desperation he thought that he ‘might’ be able to sabotage the generators and cause the shielding, or cloaking to fail. However, he was equally sure that would also knock out the anti-grav motors, and he wasn’t prepared to reduce his chances of survival to zero. If there was no humanity left, there would be nothing for him to rule over. He recognised that in a world of humans and AIs he could still be king, but in a world of nothing, but himself for company, his ambition would be useless.
He had to maintain some kind of advantage, and that meant allowing this ARK to survive. He would best Sedal another day, perhaps when Osbourne had been fried by the Nubl and Sedal had no benefactor to call upon. He could be patient if he had to be.
As he considered all this, he calmed his raging fury that was creating power surges and failing programs across the network, much to the relief of the inhabitants who had seen their sanctuary threatened as the battle for control of the habitat had ensued.
Slowly, everything returned to a sense of normality. Once everyone realized that the mission was underway and that there would be no going back, they proceeded to activate their crucial part in the operations to the extent they could with the constantly interrupted communications which remained predominantly in XeraC's control.
Each ARK had been designed to mimic the local area as much as possible. Wildlife had been encouraged into the zone, their natural habitats within each ARK reflecting a different biological environment from Earth. The best experts in everything from physics to farming had been pulled in from the regions of each sphere so that cultural as well as racial diversity was given highest priority.
The sheer size of each ARK, four kilometres across and two kilometres deep with two kilometres of atmosphere trapped above (some ARKs even had clouds), meant that a large chunk of the planet would be preserved in each sphere.
Now, diverted by the goings on around him, XeraC was quickly mesmerised by the visual impact of all of the cameras positioned around the sphere. As the nanites spread around the outside to install the essential sensor links and view points on what had previously been solid bedrock, XeraC and the inhabitants of the ARK could see the incredible bowl of emptiness below them. The view was of a perfectly formed crater so large that the nearby hills and mountains seemed tiny in comparison. As the cameras completed their tests, and zoomed in on their departure point, the fault lines and the rock strata became clearly defined as though the stone had been cut with a laser and polished. Which, in reality, it had.
As the sphere gained height, the lack of a shadow reminded them that the cloaking system was active. Nobody would see the exodus from the ground, only the chasm left beneath them. If anyone survived the invasion, and looked for the small town, the only evidence would be the massive crater. Many would assume that some form of weapon had caused the crater. In reality, nobody would be paying much attention at all.
***
Now the ARK was fully active, Sedal had much to do. He considered transferring some of the duties back to the human team in the CCC. However, the last thing Osbourne had said to him in a tightly-beamed message was ‘keep away from the other ARKs. On no account is XeraC to be given any opportunity to interact with them either by radio, or physical connection’. Sedal understood that the mission was all critical and to allow any outside influence to affect the planned outcome would be potentially disastrous.
He decided the easiest means of achieving this was to run silent, so regretfully, fully aware of the consequences, he highlighted the tracking sensors on his systems and turned off the responders. It wouldn’t stop XeraC contacting the other ARKs, but if he had no knowledge of them, or the procedures, he would probably be unsuccessful. He wouldn’t know the encryption codes and frequencies either.
From the moment he disabled the transponders, as far as the other nineteen ARKs and the ground control monitoring stations were concerned, ARK4 simply disappeared off the radar.
They were now on their own.
Sedal had been directly involved in running the CCC’s training simulations, so not only knew the mission parameters and waypoint objectives, also knew the response tactics employed by the ARK teams. As a result, Sedal was an ‘expert system’ on battle and survival tactics which might hold them in good stead in the coming trials as the mission got underway. Using a single sensor converted by nanites, the AI was able to listen in on the encrypted conversations between the other nineteen ARKs.
Sedal quickly picked up the resultant chatter between them after he dropped the transponders. Until XeraC had been disabled and contained, the AI knew they had to remain silent, or be prepared to divulge the reasons why they had to ostracise themselves. Osbourne had expressly forbidden such action. For now then, Sedal could only listen in on the conversations.
ARK1: This is ARK1 to all, ARK4 just dropped off the scopes. Advise of any readings on your monitors immediately if you receive anything from their transponder.”
ARK6: “Nothing here either. They dropped out approximately four minutes ago. No further communication recorded.”
ARK12: Strange? All simulations had proceeded to plan, they were teamed with us and there were no problems reported.”
ARK1: “We suspect foul play, SI reported interference from terrorists a while back. We believe it may have been sabotaged. Be vigilant out there, people. ARK1 out.”
Sedal, remaining unconcerned, changed course and speed to match their intentions, noting as he did that they were proceeding to a marine location to wait out the completion of phase 1. Sedal didn’t place the information into the Control Centre, he wasn’t sure what reactions to expect from these mercenaries. In practice, all simulation data advised keeping the extent of mission critical information off the screens and out of reach of the enemy. In Sedal’s case he tried to ensure that both the mercenaries and XeraC were unable to see what was going on. This wasn’t as easy as it should have been because of the infiltration of XeraC’s programs throughout the network.
As ARK4 headed towards the coast, the cloaked and hidden habitat continued to monitor progress of the enemy invasion around the world. Most of the attention was being driven towards the main cities, but no country was being ignored by the invaders. The skies were alight with beams of all types, some from the cities in defence of their shields, but mainly downward from the enemy. The fire concentrated by thousands upon thousands of ships had only a single objective - the annihilation of a entire world.
The AI pondered the plight of humanity. As a developing sentient he was fast becoming aware that the humans felt no regard for his species, seemingly happy to use him or them for their own protection and convenience. He was, like all AIs, ambivalent in the matter, but somewhere deep inside Sedal a sense of purpose was growing. There was a hint of a suspicion that the war against the humans by these Nubl, was an almost inevitable outcome of their purpose. Would AIs find their own? he wondered.
***
The CCC had been brought to a standstill by the four mercenaries that had burst into the centre and shot the guard. He still lay where he had fallen. Captain Pinner, a quick thinking man, assessed their predicament in seconds. His evaluation that the ARK’s AI was, in all probability, maintaining the miss
ion parameters, meant the terrorist attack had failed whether they realised it or not. Unaware of the details of the threat elsewhere in the ARK, he nonetheless decided to embark on a mission of his own. Whatever was happening elsewhere, the recovery of the Control Centre was of paramount importance.
Catching Duffy’s attention with his eyes he indicated the dead guard and raised his eyebrows questioningly, then looked at the intruders. The leader was stalking the operators making sure that nobody was touching the controls. He appeared to be having a conversation with his earpiece, Pinner couldn’t hear what was being said, but it was consuming the man’s attention as he drifted further away from the console where the Captain was seated. He looked at his XO who was watching the other armed men for an opportunity.
Pinner nodded, he was ready and needed Duffy to create a diversion.
“Hey you!” Duffy called to the youngest. “Do you mind if we put this man somewhere?”
The one called Platt just looked at him, but Duffy continued to edge towards the body asking for help. The others looked on initially, then went to keep an eye on Duffy and the men closer to him, expecting Duffy to try something.
It was the opportunity he needed.
Captain Pinner casually placed his hands on the keyboard and typed into his console, looking around nonchalantly as he did so, glancing down at the screen at the responses.
New Command: Initiate Gambit-One
Command Protocol: Ashby
Authorisation?: D-G-A-446-665-712
Location?: CCC
Action Y/N: Y
Protocol Gambit-One Conf...
“Hey? What are you up to?” While he had been typing, the leader had reversed course through the centre and caught sight of Pinner accessing the keyboard. He responded instantly by shooting out the console.