by Z Gottlieb
The accommodating AI left Brad with an uneasy feeling. It seemed too good to be true that the AI accepted his reasoning and didn’t argue more for the VPN connection. Shinny and he would need to be careful with their communications with her in the future, until they had a better understanding of the AI’s nature and allegiance.
Brad sent Travis a game as requested. It was a simple game he played with Dane. Travis could easily play it simultaneously while they were training. “Travis, I’ve sent you a game. I recommend you lose fifty to sixty percent of the games you play, to avoid playing like an AI.”
“Understood,” Travis replied. “What would you like to train on today?”
“We are planning to leave the Kisskalu on a transfer vehicle. I need to be able to fly it off the battle cruiser and travel as quickly as possible,” Brad explained. “I’m sending you the proposed transfer vehicle configuration. I have already sent the vehicle the program and started the modifications.”
Travis quickly adjusted the dashboard to match the transfer vehicle’s dashboard. “As you can see it is similar to a transport vehicle’s dashboard systems. The difference between the two is this panel,” Travis explained as the panel lit up with a bluish white neon glow. “The panel controls the programming features of the platter. Since it appears you have preprogrammed the vehicle, it is more important to focus on flying the vehicle with the different configurations off of the Kisskalu and through space than the programing features.”
“Travis, as usual you have the best training plan,” Brad responded.
“The seats on the platter appear to be oversized. Is that a programming error?”
Brad was nervous about explaining the reasons for the large seats. But if he couldn’t trust the voice tied to the chip in his head, who could he trust? “The large sized seats are to accommodate the Neslins who will be leaving with us.”
“Thank you for the clarification. I will make adjustments for the additional mass. Yeshawliq has asked me to tell you that the shield you programmed for the vehicle is strong enough to contain the atmosphere, but will not protect your passengers against weapons fire. Yeshawliq asked if you would like her to correct the programing for the vehicle’s shield.”
“No!” Brad and Shinny shouted in unison.
Brad took a moment to recover from his outburst. He didn’t need Shinny to say anything more to know her thoughts mirrored his. They did not know enough about the Yeshawliq AI to know if they could trust her with anything, yet. “Please ask Yeshawliq to send the shield’s programming to us. If Yeshawliq makes the changes, we will not have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, nor will I know how to program on my own if it becomes necessary,” Brad explained. It would also allow him to examine the differences to ensure the changes strengthened the shield.
“Yeshawliq will send the program to you. She also asked me to remind you there will be an issue of balancing the shield’s strength against velocity required for escape. I will readjust my programming to include the stronger shield mass as you dictated.”
Chapter 29
Plity Nerunder jogged angrily toward the cruiser’s aft. Her shift had rapidly deteriorated when the pilots left the Neslins’ isolation ward. She had the ward on constant watch, waiting for the male pilot to leave in order to interrogate him. She had interrogated the female pilot a number of times and although the sensors all indicated truthfulness, she was convinced they were hiding a bigger truth. Her team noted changes in the Neslins’ patterns indicating something was going on with them and their CIG prisoners. At first she had been ecstatic when it looked like the little Neslin was going to tear the male pilot apart, saving her the trouble of doing it herself. But then the pattern changed and now they spent almost all of their waking hours together.
When she was informed the male pilot was being escorted with his mate, she thought she would have an opportunity to interrogate him. Instead the oversized Neslin intercepted her and demanded to discuss the treatment of their princess. Plity was willing to schedule a meeting at a later shift but found herself and her team surrounded by ten Neslins refusing to move until the big one finished listing its concerns. The big Neslin droned on and on about the princess, food, appropriate sleeping quarters, and transportation off the ship. The discussion was no different from previous discussions except she was hearing everything at once. The big Neslin refused to accept this was a warship and did not have sufficient resources to adequately sustain their colony.
The Neslin then had the audacity to demand to meet with the cruiser’s captain. They were at war; very few individuals met with the captain or were even allowed on the bridge to talk to the bridge staff. Even she did not have that privilege. The captain and his staff would contact her through her chip. She had offered to download the frequency onto the Neslin’s chip and instead was lectured by the Neslin, as if she were a child, on the dangers of downloading unapproved frequencies and allowing unauthorized access to personal chips. Plity was not offering the Neslin a random download; it was an Aneplé frequency approved at the most senior levels. It was not their issue the Neslin monarchy did not want to join the Aneplé Alliance. She couldn’t understand why the large Neslin did not want to be noted in Aneplé’s history as the first of her species to accept the download.
Plity was jolted out her musing by three Neslins standing at the door at the far end of the hallway. She turned to discuss the approach with her team.
Brad was becoming more proficient at flying the transfer vehicle but still lost his passengers twenty percent of the time. Travis had congratulated Brad on his almost flawless ability to fly the vehicle in its different configurations. If this were a simple transfer from one battle cruiser to another, he would be done. But the first time Travis included projectiles and lasers from several Attack Vipers in the simulation, he understood how woefully unprepared he was. Each time the simulation of the ejected platter disintegrated in front of the vehicle, the lack of preparation and shielding hit home. The problem was that the transfer vehicle viewed the ejection of the platter as a first line of defense, even with the additional weapons grade shield. Shinny had reprogrammed the vehicle to accept a few direct hits but they were still at twenty percent. She was concerned that increasing the weapon’s grade shield further would negatively affect the vehicle’s power limits. Nevertheless, she would keep trying to find a solution.
“Brad, Yancurve sent a warning message that Nerunder is almost at the door.”
Brad donned his glove. “Travis, thank you for the training. The Aneplé security officer is on her way. Switch to the game.”
Nerunder approached the Neslins standing at a door blocking her access to the room. “Who’s in the room?”
Yancurve’s first instinct was to ignore the annoying Aneplé Security Officer, but her instructions were to cooperate and not to appear suspicious. That in itself was humorous. How could she not appear suspicious guarding a training module, she thought. “Our CIG prisoners are in the room.”
“What are they doing?” Nerunder demanded.
“They are having a conjugal visit,” Yancurve answered.
“In a trainer? Do you expect me to believe you?” Plity spat. “What are they training for?”
Yancurve turned to Tyom and Kbizat and in Neslin, growling for effect, “I don’t think I can hold her off much longer.”
“Johnson sent a message they are ready for Nerunder,” Tyom reported, returning the growl in Neslin, seeming to put the Aneplé officer more on edge.
Yancurve’s face turned dark with anger as she stared at Nerunder and her team. Continuing to growl in CIG standard, “Children. What else do think a conjugal visit would train for?”
“What are you talking about? Do you think I’m an idiot? Let me into the training module now,” Plity demanded, gritting her teeth. Normally she would have backed off from the two growling Neslins, but she found herself too angry to care. Plity watched the Neslins step away from the door and pulled the door open. She walked in with
her team following and stood silently observing the pilot gesture to move an animated piece through a maze. “Pilot, what are you and your mate doing?”
Brad stopped and looked at the Aneplé Officer. She looked bad, but who wouldn’t after being berated by Wesgwidy? He had no sympathy for Nerunder and couldn’t wait to congratulate Wesgwidy on a job well done. “Commander, we are playing a game called Pacman. Would you like to play?”
“No, I do not want to waste my time on this foolishness. This was a conjugal visit? What does the game have to do with it?”
“It’s foreplay. First we play a game, then we—”
“Shut up,” screeched Nerunder. She turned to a crewman behind her. “Escort him to my office. We need to interrogate him, now.”
Before the crewmen could reach Brad, Shinny stood up and stepped in front of Brad’s seat. It wouldn’t take much to tear the suit and she wasn’t going to give them an opportunity to get rough with him. “My mate is not going anywhere with you. You can interrogate him here.”
Two of the security guards moved forward menacingly towards Shinny but stopped as a Neslin voice boomed over their heads, “Johnson, do you need any assistance?”
Brad stood up and faced Yancurve, who had pushed her way into the trainer. “Our conjugal visit was interrupted. The commander wants to interrogate me now. Could you stand by while they interrogate me in the hallway?”
“You are our prisoners. We’ll wait for you outside,” Yancurve barked as she backed out of the trainer.
Brad turned to Nerunder. “I’m happy to answer any questions in the hallway. But then I need to return to the isolation ward. The Neslins will miss me and will send the big Neslin to look for me.” Brad could see they weren’t sure if they should believe him or not. He didn’t care, but he needed to get them off his back so he could get to the bicycle track and look at the transfer vehicle in perspective of everything else. He followed everyone leaving the trainer and stepped out to position himself next to the Neslins with Shinny at his side. “Commander, how can I help you?”
Nerunder turned to her crewmen and pointed towards them, “You two, go in and check the trainer’s recording.” She walked up to Brad, staring at him contemptuously and trying to intimidate him. “I’ve had enough of you. What were you doing in the trainer?”
Brad observed the technicians focusing on their tablets. He assumed they were viewing sensor readings of the conversation. He was aware lies would register on their equipment and needed to answer as truthfully as possible without giving too much away. “We were training and thinking of escaping.”
“Brad, what are you saying?” gasped Shinny, likely shocked over the veracity he displayed.
Nerunder waved a security technician to join her. She looked at the technician’s tablet and swiped through a few screens. She glared at Brad. “What games are you playing? Our sensors are showing us you are definitely lying and are hiding something.” Nerunder turned abruptly and faced Shinny. “I’m disappointed in you. We had a relationship of trust and your mate has undermined it. The sensors show you are lying to us, also.”
Shinny furrowed her eyebrows. “What are you talking about? Is your equipment calibrated correctly?”
The technician stood taller, lifting her chin in offense at Shinny’s insinuations, and grumbled, “My equipment is frequently tested. This is not your concern.”
That’s odd, Brad thought. “Fine,” Brad jumped in. “You want to know the truth about our six children. Their names are,” he listed in English, “Greedy, Stinky, Smelly, Yogurt, Shoelaces, and Tablecloth.”
Perplexed by his odd behavior, Shinny asked, “What’s gotten into you?”
“I’m telling them what they want to hear,” Brad announced with all the bravado he could muster, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake. He looked at Nerunder. “Commander, I’m tired of hiding the truth from you. What do you want to know?”
Yancurve touched Brad lightly on the shoulder. “Pilot, you are speaking too much. We need to return you to the isolation ward. Mother will not be pleased when she hears you wanted to tell secrets.”
Brad whirled swiftly around, facing Yancurve and the two other Neslins. He shouted, “Back off, I know what I am doing. I’ll answer a few of Commander Nerunder’s questions and talk to Mother myself.” The startled Neslins stepped away and he turned back toward the Security Officer. “Ask away.”
Nerunder appeared surprised by the Neslins’ reaction to the outburst. “Would you like to follow me to my work space for more privacy?”
“No. I’m a Neslin prisoner. It is their job to return me to their colony. If you do not ask your questions soon, I will not be allowed to answer.”
Nerunder pressed her lips together in a straight harsh line, leaving a disagreeable look on her face as she appeared to weigh the questions in her mind. “The command staff would like to know what is Connor’s Gambit?”
Finally, Brad thought. “It’s a dark hole in the Pertutinn Transit.”
“Brad what are you doing?” screamed Shinny in his head.
Brad bent his head as he rubbed his temples. Nerunder walked over and pulled a hand away. “Command Staff has more questions.”
“What?” Brad snarled and went back to rubbing his temples.
“Has it been explored?” She asked with a furious expression on her face.
Taking in a sharp breath from the physical pain in his head, Brad gave Shinny a murderous glance before he answered, “I’ve been a prisoner on this ship. I don’t know if there has been additional exploration of it.”
Nerunder grabbed Brad’s other arm and jerked it away from his head. “You are just another weak CIG prisoner expecting leniency. That is never going to happen on my watch. Where does the Connor’s Gambit lead to?”
“What do you think? Why do you think it was named Connor’s Gambit?” Brad responded insolently.
His response infuriated Nerunder. “Aneplé Intelligence has already proposed two alternatives. They believe the dark hole leads to the center of Aneplé or the center of CIG territory. We will know soon with their CIG contacts continuing their research and verifying with their sources on the dark hole’s destination. She pointed to the female pilot. “Why hasn’t she shared this with us?”
“She wasn’t cleared to know,” Brad answered. A thick arm wrapped around his waist, lifting and carrying him like a sack of potatoes, and then started jogging back toward the Neslin colony. “Yancurve, put me down,” shouted Brad.
As the prisoners disappeared down the corridor, Plity tried to think what his answer meant to the Aneplé. She considered Intelligence’s hypothesis of two alternatives. The dark hole either led to the center of Aneplé or to the center of CIG territory. They needed to have their CIG contacts continue their research and verify with their sources the dark hole’s destination.
“Pilot, Wesgwidy will not be pleased when I report your conversation with Nerunder,” Yancurve informed Brad as she continued to jog carrying him at her side.
Feeling chagrined and helpless, he shouted, “Shinny, ask Yancurve to put me down, gently.” It didn’t take Brad long to realize Shinny was ignoring him. Great, now she decides to give me the silent treatment, he thought.
“Yeshawliq, stop this madness.” Brad yelled as loud as he could, hoping the AI had received and understood his message, since he was facing the floor. Heavy metal doors slammed with a loud bang behind him and another bang further ahead. The lights dimmed. Yancurve jerked Brad as she came to an abrupt stop in the pitch-black darkness.
“Brad, what is going on? What have you done?” Shinny asked, staring into the darkness.
“If Yancurve will let me down gently, I’ll explain what I think is going on.”
Yancurve placed Brad on the floor and steadied him before releasing him. “Pilot, I am trusting you to behave.”
Brad was glad the dark room hid his exasperated expression from her. “Thank you, Little Mother.” Brad tested his stance before he began talking. “Yeshawliq, c
ould you please turn on the emergency lights.” A red glowing light seeped from the lengthwise seams of the hallway. Brad looked at the surprised faces around him distorted by the red light. “Yeshawliq, could you try green? It might be easier on our eyes.” He waited as the hallway was washed in the green light. Shinny’s mouth was agape. “Shinny, is green all right or do you have another preference?” Brad motioned to her to speak up.
“Yeshawliq, could you bring back the red lights?” Shinny asked. The hallway changed from green to red. She stepped next to Brad. “We need an explanation.”
“I became aware Yeshawliq has been watching over the Neslins and us like a guardian angel. The Neslins may question her actions, but I believe she has been balancing her actions within her programming parameters without informing the Aneplé of her existence.”
“I see. How did you determine this?” Shinny asked.
“In the trainer, Travis referred to you as major. Since Travis only responds to my direct input, he did not receive that information from me. That leaves Wesgwidy, who is the only other individual to know you are a major. She only addresses you as major in private when no one is around and the space is clear of recording devices, however, it appears as if the AI has always been present. No one else knows, not even Fernando, although he suspects.
Yancurve looked at the female Johnson. “You’re a major? No wonder Wesgwidy was risking the colony’s wellbeing working with both of you. Your mate may be a crazy pilot, but you are a Special Combat Officer capable of taking on the role of an armed escort for Ferklopgresfk Nan Dowelstergak.”
Brad stepped in and answered for her. “Yes, she is, we have not said anything because of the risks associated with the Aneplé learning this information. Even under the best of intentions, accidents occur, which is why her identity was not shared beyond Wesgwidy.”
“Okay, but you must stop addressing Ferklopgresfk Nan Dowelstergak by Fernando. It’s disrespectful.”