Darba thought for a moment. "That was over a trade dispute, Mr. Beutcher. He would have been brought here."
I stood and paced. "What about a political prisoner? Or an enemy from a war?"
Darba replied, "Tasian Colony was our political capitol for centuries before the trade board came into power. I suppose a political prisoner could be taken there. And as far as war... that would be Kral. But I don't know why Mr. Rourke would be taken to either. Has there been war between our peoples?"
Go nodded. "You could say something like that."
Darba looked down. "So the rumors are true."
I asked, "What rumors?"
Darba turned to face me. "Do you believe me to be an honest person, Mr. Beutcher?"
I stopped and looked at Darba. "That's an odd question. What are you wanting to say?"
Darba sighed. "When you returned to Odenta and found the Odenta dead, was there any debris from our fleet? With nearly fifty ships destroyed, that debris would not have been difficult to find, would it?"
Go said, "We didn't look."
I walked back to the console. "We'll know for sure in three minutes."
Darba waved his hand. "Don't bother, Mr. Beutcher. This is all my fault."
I asked, "What do you mean?"
Darba looked down and then slowly raised his head. "My people violated the contract they had with you. It was they who alerted the New Alliance to the goings-on at Odenta. In exchange, they took the metals that had been mined, the autominers, the AIs and the bots. The Alliance ships slaughtered the Odentas and took your Talisans back into conscription. There is no debris because... no Tamarin ships were attacked."
Go said, "Well, what was all that phony trial about?"
Darba shrugged. "I can only guess it was an attempt to legitimize what they had done."
I brought up an image of a ship factory in orbit around Parmesen. "So they used our AIs and autobots to build up a fleet. And they then allied with the Grotus and the Kergans against us. So it's the Tamarins who control the portal ships."
Go said, "I would bet it's Tamarins in charge... not the Grotus. The Grumar and Grotus are all confined to their planets."
Darba nodded. "I heard rumor of such an alliance, but I thought it too far-fetched to be real."
Darba looked around. "This ship... how did you get me here?"
I said, "I opened a wormhole portal in your cell and swept it over you. This ship has that ability. Your trade board or whoever is in charge, has two more of these ships that they somehow hijacked."
Joni blinked in, startling Darba. "What? Where did she just come from?"
Joni shook her head. "Doesn't matter. What matters is that you are going to tell us precisely where we can find those prisons Knog asked about. What city of the Tasian Colony would that prison be in?"
I punched coordinates for the jump into the console and pressed the button. Three seconds later I had an image of Tasia on the display.
Darba looked over the image and pointed. "There, Farthing is the capitol. There is a complex of government buildings there. The prison would be in them."
Joni stepped away. "Care to sweep me down to Farthing?"
I typed in the coordinates and pressed the button. As the portal swept over Joni's position, she blinked out.
Darba asked, "Did she just go down to the surface?"
I replied, "Yes."
Darba shook his head. "They will kill her!"
Go chuckled. "They'll never see her. How big is that prison?"
Darba looked at the holo-display as I zoomed in on the government buildings. "I would imagine it is quite large. Before the corporation, this was the power center of our government."
Joni said, "I've got rows and rows of cells. How about a scan? I think large portions of this place are inactive."
I ran a sensor sweep over the buildings, narrowing her search down to two. After a quick run-through of each, Garrett was not found.
Joni said, "Sweep me up. If they have him, he must be at Kral."
Go said, "So the Tamarins stole the bots, used them to build ships, allied with everyone else, stole the portal ships, and then turned the alliance out here into their alliance. How much more convoluted can this mess get?"
I replied, "And the rest of the New Alliance is now on their side. We have to find that other portal ship."
The coordinates were entered for a jump to Kral. A rumble was followed seconds later by an explosion. I fell to the floor as the Ares was rocked with vibrations. Our sweep into the system had placed us directly in the path of a Tamarin battleship. The collision had overwhelmed our active skin. The fore-decks of the Ares now sat tightly wedged into the center of the Tamarin ship.
I stood and jumped to the console. "The skin is down! We are visible! Portal generators are offline!"
Go jumped up and ran to the weapons console. "All cannons are now on auto-fire!"
Joni pointed at the nav display. "We have two dozen battleships coming this way!"
The first of the Tamarin particle beams pounded our hull as two of their ships fired tractor beams to hold us in place.
My attempts to free the Ares from the beams failed. We were stuck and the enemy was closing fast.
Two more particle beams played over the bow, scorching layers of Tantric from our hull.
Quan came over the comm with his usual relaxed tone. "Go, did you not say the AIs and bots were stolen from Odenta?"
Go replied, "Yes. If you have a point, get to it, Quan. We're about to be overrun!"
Quan answered, "Did those AIs not have a kill switch built into each and every AI?"
Go was frozen in thought for several seconds. "Yes... yes they did!"
Go pulled up his holo-display, swiping frantically at several screens until the kill switch was in view. Go stared at the holo-button.
Joni yelled, "Well, push it already!"
Go reached for the button. The particle beams stopped, the tractor beams stopped. The advancing battleships began to drift, listing as they moved forward.
I fired several cannon blasts into the battleship that clung to our nose. Our ship came free.
The other ships surrounding Kral were silent. The automated ship factory only showed the movement of drifting parts where all control had been lost.
Go said, "Wow. If Garrett was here right now I'd bend down and kiss his boots."
Joni pointed at the planet. "Can we identify the prison down there?"
Darba Wampros replied, "There are two cities on Kral. One has a large red building. That is the prison. It can easily be spotted from the air."
Joni looked at me. "We don't have a portal, do we?"
I shook my head. "It's offline."
Joni looked back at the display. "That's a thirty minute ride for me from here. You can watch on the display."
In an instant Joni blinked out and was gone.
Go gestured toward Darba Wampros. "What do we do with him?"
I replied, "He's been cooperative, he can stay here with me. See if you can get an idea of what's wrong with the portal generator. Without it we're stuck here."
Quan said, "I have done a damage analysis. The portal generator requires a simple repair to a dislodged and damaged coupling. I am providing a listing of the necessary components. It appears they are available in the ship's storage area. I have identified the box containing the required part and the tools needed for the repair. I would estimate a forty minute repair time."
Go stood. "I'm on it. Quan, pass those items to my display."
Darba looked at me. "What just happened?"
I sat. "We didn't trust the AIs so we programmed in a kill switch. Your people stole our AIs and apparently used them to replicate more. All of those replicants have the kill switch built into them. In other words, we can take down every automated ship your people have. All we have to do is get within comm range."
Darba began to reply, I held up my hand. "Hold on. Looks like your people are trying to board one of those auto
mated ships from a shuttle. It won't do them any good. They will have to replace every dead AI on that ship with a new computer. Which I'm certain they don't have."
A half hour passed.
Joni said, "I see the red building, sending the coordinates. Can you give me a bio-scan?"
I nodded. "One sec. OK, you have bios on the lower four floors... and only on the north side. We should have the portal drive running again before you're done."
Joni began her check, drifting from cell to cell as fast as she could.
Joni said, "The entire second floor are Kergans."
Minutes later. "Third floor are Grotus."
Go said, "Coupler is in. See if she'll power up!"
I flipped a switch on the jump console. Several seconds passed.
I said, "I'm showing green. I think that did it. Joni, we have jump power."
Joni replied, "Hang on, I have a Human! It's Jack!"
I punched in the coordinates. "Keep checking, I'll sweep him out."
The rumble told of a portal generator that was once again functional.
I said, "Go, I just swept Jack into the bay. Get down there and get him to the med lab."
"Awesome! I'll be right there!"
Joni moved to the next cell. "I've got Gottlieb in here. He looks pretty beat up as well."
I said, "Hold there while I sweep him up."
Joni powered through a wall. "And I have Captain Rogers if you want him as well."
I replied, "Sweeping."
Five minutes later, Joni came to a stop. "He's not here. Garrett's not here."
I replied, "You checked every room?"
Joni nodded. "I checked every bio that showed on the scan. Sweep me up."
I punched in Joni's coordinates. She was soon standing on the deck of the bay next to Jack. Go came into the bay. Jack, Gottlieb, and Rogers were carried to the med lab and placed on beds.
Quan ran a medical scan. "They're malnourished, beaten and bruised; no major breaks or signs of internal damage. With food and care, they will recover."
Joni came onto the bridge, plopping down in a chair. "Where else would they have taken him?"
I said, "They may have him on the portal ship. Or perhaps they have another base. Darba, are there any more facilities where an enemy might be housed?"
Darba shrugged. "I don't know. All of this is new for me. Perhaps he was turned over to the Kergans or the Grotus?"
Joni sighed. "Is this ever going to end?"
I said, "It has to."
A jump was made back to Maxell. The AIs and autobots Quan had at his disposal were redirected to repair the Ares. Two new small fighter ships, with portal capability, were added to our fleet. Our search for Garrett was only just beginning.
~~~~~
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OMEGA
(Vol. 7)
Rescue
Chapter 7.1
* * *
Jack woke from a slumber. "Man, I feel like I got trampled by a herd of borak."
I said, "You're bruised up. Were they trying to get you to talk?"
Jack shook his head. "They didn't have to try. They had drugs. I'm sure I told them just about everything they wanted to know. However, I did manage to weave in a few tall tales. And they stopped asking before I gave them anything on Joni's suit. Once I started talking about faeries, I think they decided the drugs had gone too far. I would advise that we move from here, though, they know about this place."
I pointed, "The bruises?"
Jack sighed, "That was just the guards deciding they wanted to have some fun. They dumped me in a cell with four Kergans a couple days before you got there. It wasn't a fair fight."
Jack reached up to his mouth. "At least I still have all my teeth."
I said, "What happened to Lieutenant Jefferson?"
Jack shrugged. "When they took us from Gratis they separated us. I haven't seen him since. The fact that you pulled me out of that prison and not him doesn't bode well, but he's both smart and resourceful. If he's out there, he'll try to make himself known."
I nodded. "We also found Gottlieb and Rogers. They were in a similar condition as you. We've moved them in with Harden and the others."
Jack perked up. "Harden?"
I again nodded. "The automated ships have taken over Alpha Prime. Joni asked that we pull her family out. They're currently locked down in the crew section. Much has happened since you were grabbed."
Jack continued, "I seriously think you should move out of this place. They asked a lot of questions about it. I told them about artifacts, so at some point they are going to want to come here."
"Quan?" I said. "How soon before you would be ready to be moved?"
Quan replied, "I was unaware of the need to do so. If it is thought that this planet may be a target, then it would indeed be advisable to move from here. Should I make use of the other portal ship? An analysis shows that my circuits and generators, with a few adjustments, will fit into the docking bay. I will continue working to restore my archive once that is done."
Jack said, "You sure that's a good idea, giving an AI a portal ship?"
I replied, "Quan has shown no signs of betrayal or self interest. Besides, it might come in useful at some point to have him mobile. And the ship he is on has not been modified. It still requires large amounts of cesium to jump."
I performed a scan of the area near Mayanis that held the cesium freighters. "Quan, make use of that ship. When complete, take yourself to Effica. The Grotus have not moved their cesium supply. I'm sweeping it out to there."
Jack said, "What about the crews on those ships?"
I brought up a display of the scan data. "No crews on them. Just the ore."
I continued, "Quan, take that ship. And make haste, the Tamarins could jump in there at any moment."
After returning to the bridge, I began to scan each of the relevant planets in the Yallux galaxy. The Tamarins continued to expand their fleet. A new set of bots was taken to the Kral world, where the ship factories were brought back online. Garrett's kill switch had cleared all programming from the AIs. A quick software reload had those AIs once again fully operational.
After a week of searching, we finally got a hit on a large fleet. A scan through the security stations, after receiving access assistance from Quan, showed a fleet of forty thousand automated ships in the Andromeda galaxy. A planet in the Pharaoh system named Ralton III was under siege. It was the capital planet of one of the ruling families. The Tamarins were tightening their grip on the six galaxies. News feeds told of three solid days of war, where Ralton missile defenses had kept the automated ships at bay. The Tamarins were massing for an attack that would overwhelm those defenses.
We took the opportunity to offer assistance while searching for the remaining portal ship.
Jack, moving with a bad limp, slowly walked onto the bridge. "What are we looking at?"
I replied, "Ralton III is under siege. I expect the Tamarin ships to attack at any minute. I was just lining up to see if we could sweep a few of those ships out of there."
Jack stood behind me. "Anything I can do to help?"
I nodded. "This ship needs a captain. Are you feeling up to the task?"
Jack laughed. "If it keeps me out of that lumpy bed in the med bay, I'll do whatever you ask."
I pointed at a console that was purely nav. "The
re's a simulation mode over there. Familiarize yourself with that while Go and I sweep ships out of here."
Go said, "I have three large blocks of ships identified. If we hit them now we should catch and send forty-two hundred ships before they can react. After that we just pick and choose from smaller groups."
I nodded. "You pass the coordinates, I'll press the button."
We managed five sweeps, fifty-two hundred ships, before the Tamarin fleet got wise. Space between ships was expanded and all ships stayed in constant motion.
I said, "They're still bunching together. At this rate we can average twenty ships per sweep."
Go replied, "Watch for a portal opening for more ships to come through."
Jack yelled, "We have missiles coming up from the surface of Ralton!"
Several seconds later, thousands of explosions could be seen on and around the Tamarin ships.
Jack said, "You can scratch another twelve thousand ships! Whatever they are using for missile guidance and warheads, I want it!"
Go asked, "Where'd they get that technology?"
I replied, "Harden Salton was apparently not the only one breaking the rules."
Go smiled, "We just cut their numbers almost in half. They'll have to reinforce now. We just have to sit and wait."
Quan came over the comm. "I have my circuits contained in a single structure. I will be moving that structure into the docking bay of the portal ship. The ship name, by the way, is the Quantix. When I have moved myself fully aboard, I will sweep the archives out to Effica, followed by the Quantix and myself. From there, I will continue work on the archives until I receive further orders."
I nodded. "Let us know when your move is complete."
Go squirmed in his chair. "I just had an awesome idea. If a portal opens, I'll attempt to outline the coordinates of the ships as they come through. If we can catch them at that instant, we may be able to sweep the whole lot of them into that star all at once."
I turned toward Jack. "Do you think you could manage a scan of a portal when it opens? We'll need the location it's sweeping those ships from."
OMEGA Brutal Page 23