by S A Pavli
“Alfred are you able to show us your enhanced images?” I asked. I patched his voice through to the general com channel.
“I am unable to communicate with the ship’s AI, only receive,” he explained.
“Ah sorry,” I said. “I forgot that Alfred is banned from active participation. Thank you Alfred.” Jansec gave me a dirty look and Lanatra an amused one. Hamolatonen looked smug. Jansec leant back in his chair, his face a picture of indecision. Out of your depth now buddy aren’t you I thought.
“Should we ask The Peacekeepers?” he asked.
“That would not be advisable,” I said. He looked baffled. “If we ask about these unknown starships, we would be telling the Peacekeepers that we have control over this ship.”
“What does it mean? Why are these Hianja ships here?” he asked.
“We have been wondering how it is that this system has remained a secret all these years,” I said. I had their attention now, all eyes focused intently on me. “Many starships should have discovered it or passed close by. Yet it has remained hidden. You can draw your own conclusions.”
“What has happened to the crews?” asked Lanatra, her face fearful. There was a sober silence. Clearly imaginations were working overtime.
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions,” I said. “The Peacekeepers may reveal all in due course.”
We kept an eye on the orbiting starships and as the ship came closer they became clearer. Hamolatonen asked the ship’s AI to scan the radio frequencies for any transmissions from the ships but none was detected. We could not transmit to them of course in case the transmissions were received by The Peacekeepers, in which case we would have some explaining to do. We had our evening meal in a somewhat sober atmosphere and returned to the control room. I again receive a message from Alfred.
“Paul, I have been examining pictures of the planet’s surface and I have detected artificial structures at a number of locations.”
“What sort of artificial structures Alfred?” I guessed that they may be Peacekeeper planet based fortifications.
“They are very small and difficult to resolve, but they look like primitive villages.” I was taken aback by his answer. Primitive villages? What the heck? Was the planet inhabited?
“Are they all over the planet?” I asked.
“No, they are localised in one area.” It came to me then, what these primitive villages may be. At least they didn’t kill them I thought.
“That is probably what happened to the crews of the starships,” I said.
“Yes, very likely,” agreed Alfred. I considered whether we should make this latest item of news public. I reasoned that if Jansec continued to think that the starship crews may have been murdered by the Peacekeepers, it may make him a bit more cautious. But I should tell Manera and our allies Hamolatonen and Colrania I decided. We still had a couple of hours to go before we arrived at the Peacekeeper moon. I turned to Manera.
“Manera, can we have a meeting in the shuttle? Invite Hamolatonen and Colrania.” She looked at me questioningly. “Something has come up. More news from Alfred. We can look at the processed pictures in the shuttle.” She thought for a second and nodded.
“We can go now. Hamo and Colrania will follow.” We stood and made our excuses and headed for the shuttle. Manera contacted Hamo and Colrania on our private channel and invited them to the shuttle. Once away she asked me what was going on and I explained what Alfred had told me and my suspicions about who the inhabitants of the ‘primitive villages’ may be. She whistled in surprise.
“The Peacekeepers marooned these poor people on an alien planet? Just to keep their existence a secret?”
“It certainly looks like it.”
We entered the shuttle and made our way to the small mess where there was a large 3D screen.
“Alfred, we thought you could show us the pictures you have processed,” I said.
“Certainly Paul. These are the orbiting starships. I have even clearer pictures now and they are definitely Hianja.” We examined the pictures and Manera nodded.
“They are,” she said. “How many have you counted Alfred?”
“Nine so far,” replied Alfred.
“I’m surprised there are not more,” she said. “After five thousand years.”
“There must be records of their disappearance,” I suggested.
“Yes, once we know their names we can find out who they are and when they were taken.”
“How about these primitive villages Alfred,” I asked. Alfred began to display shots of small structures almost hidden by forest and undergrowth. He expanded the view and we could see that they were primitive houses, thatched mud and wood, built in a circle with an open area in the middle and a low wall built around the village. There were only three villages, all about the same size and built close together, all within a mile of each other in a fertile valley on the banks of a river which ran into the sea a couple of miles further down.
“They look too primitive,” remarked Manera. “In thousands of years surely they could have made something more sophisticated.”
“I guess if you take a bunch of modern people and dump them on a primitive planet, they could well have a problem surviving,” I suggested. “No skills in farming, hunting, building with natural materials, surviving in the wild.”
“It’s bad enough for the Peacekeepers to maroon these people on a primitive planet, but to do so without any modern aid is equivalent to committing them to death,” she said fiercely.
“Perhaps that is what they wanted to happen,” I said. “Because they are unable to murder them out of hand.”
A little later, Hamolatonen and Colrania arrived and we showed them Alfred’s evidence of the ships and the possible fate of their crews. They were disbelieving that the Peacekeepers could be so callous. I made them all coffee and we sat to discuss our situation, which was looking more dangerous by the minute.
“If the Peacekeepers are so fixated with the idea of protecting their identity and location, what will they decide to do with us?” asked Hamolatonen.
“They may accept our suggestion and open themselves up to greater exposure and control,” suggested Colrania.
“Fat chance,” I said. They all looked questioningly at me.
“You believe there is a good chance?” asked Hamolatonen.
“Ah no, sorry, I am being ironic,” I explained. “There is no chance that they will open themselves up, because if they do, their treatment of the Hianja starship crews will become public.”
“But Jansec will still want to ask. That is what he is here for,” said Hamolatonen.
“So we must be ready. Colrania, is Alfred’s clandestine interface with the Settang ready?”
“Yes, connected and on line,” she replied.
“How is Alfred going to upload his viruses onto the Peacekeeper network?” I asked.
“The Settang is permanently connected to the network and is trading information on a regular basis.”
“I think Alfred should upload his viruses now and have them ready to be activated. Can you do that Alfred?” I asked.
“I need to intercept the Settang’s messages and re-transmit them,” said Alfred.
“I can arrange that,” said Colrania. “But there is a risk it may be discovered.”
“We have to risk it,” said Hamolatonen. “If it is discovered and Jansec wants to disconnect it then we will have a showdown with Jansec.” There was a determined look on his face.
“What sort of showdown Hamo?” asked Manera.
“I think we need Lanatra on side,” he said. “Can you talk to her?”
“We are going to have to tell her all we know,” she said.
“Do it,” said Hamolatonen.
“Are you sure she is not playing a double game?” I asked. “Pretending to be sympathetic so we can confide in her, so she can report it to Jansec.” Manera held her head in her hands.
“You Earthmen are very devious,” she groaned. I laughe
d at her comical expression.
“Okay, okay, I will leave it to your female instincts,” I said.
“Oh God! Even worse,” she exclaimed. “Remember, Hianja are creatures of pure reason. We have no instincts, they have been erased by ten thousand years of conditioning.”
“I don’t think so my love,” I said. “Your instincts are perfect. As is everything else about you.”
“You may be biased,” she said, pursing her lips in an affectionate kiss.
“Shall we leave now?” asked Colrania sarcastically, eliciting smiles from everyone.
“Listen,” I went on, “If we tell her about the villages and that we think they are Hianja, and she tells Jansec, no damage done. We are not doing anything underhand, this is information which is also available to everyone else. It just happens Alfred has noticed it first. We had every intention of telling everyone else right?” They all nodded their agreement.
“That’s agreed then. Manera, tell Lanatra what we have learned and that we are taking precautions, but we will not move without majority agreement, and we want her support.” Manera nodded.
“Let’s get back to our apartments before anyone notices our absence,” she said. “And my lovely Earthman can tell me how perfect I am again.” There was a ribald groan from Colrania and Hamolatonen grinned. Damn it, I could feel myself blushing. That girl had no shame!
Chapter 24
Early the next morning the ship manoeuvred itself into an orbit around the Peacekeeper moon. We were all in the control room to witness it first hand. There was a huge amount of excitement, and some trepidation at the sight of the military infrastructure that the Peacekeepers had assembled. The ship took up position outside the orbiting ring of asteroids, although we were close enough to see the missile and gun emplacements on the giant rocks.
I asked myself why the Peacekeepers would build such a fortress to defend their own base, when their job was to defend the Hianja Federation. It was, as usual, Alfred, who provided the answer.
“Paul, I can see evidence that there have been attacks in the past on this installation.”
“What kind of evidence Alfred?” I whispered into my comm unit.
“The remnants of destroyed missile and gun emplacements. Evidence of explosions, some very violent on some of the asteroids.”
“Who would have the firepower to do that?” I asked.
“On the face of it, only the Peacekeepers themselves,” said Alfred, following his logic to the only conclusion.
“Division in the ranks? Surely not,” I said.
“The structure of the Peacekeepers organisation is one where overall control rests with three master AI computers, based here on the asteroid. The Peacekeeper starships can only operate independently when away from this base.”
“Mmm, that’s another mystery we have to solve. How many starships have you counted so far Alfred?”
“I have counted Fifteen. Three in orbit around the moon, eight are in orbit about the planet and another four are dispersed around the system. I believe that there are mining installations on other planets and moons.”
“Each ship has a complement of sixteen fighters, and including the Settang there is a total of sixteen ships. That’s 256 fighters. Quite a military force.”
“Yes. There is something else,” said Alfred. “On the question of the damage to the asteroids, I believe some of the orbiting Peacekeeper starships appear to be severely damaged, and probably non-operational.”
“How many Alfred?” I asked.
“Two are badly damaged and another two partially.”
“Well, that explains who attacked the base,” I said. “God, it gets worse. If the Peacekeepers are fighting amongst themselves then they are even more unstable that we believed.”
“Yes, but why should the starships attack their own master AI?” It was a rhetorical question from Alfred.
I considered whether I should make this information public. Would it help Jansec in negotiating with the Peacekeeper’s master AI I asked myself. Probably not I decided.
“Alfred, has Colrania set up the divert interfaces?” I asked.
“Yes, I am preparing the sleeping viruses and will upload them to their network as soon as possible.”
“How long will it take the viruses to penetrate into their systems?”
“It’s impossible to say Paul. I do not have detailed knowledge of their network.”
“Let’s hope Jansec can keep them talking long enough,” I said.
It was a few minutes later that we had our first contact with the Peacekeeper master AI. The 3D screen which the Settang had used to display the world around us, allowing us to examine the planet, the moon and its military installations and orbiting starships suddenly went blank.
“The master AI is connecting,” reported the Settang AI. A picture formed and there was an intake of breath around the room, and a few surprised exclamations. We were looking at a tall athletic looking Hianja female, dressed as a Hianja starship Captain.
Hamolatonen stood up, a startled look on his face. He peered at the screen carefully then shook his head in bewilderment.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I am the avatar of the Peacekeeper master AI,” she replied.
“Are you… Hianja?” asked Hamolatonen.
“No, I am a robot,” she replied. We all exhaled in relief.
“You are very realistic,” said Hamolatonen.
“It was my wish to make you feel as comfortable as possible while conversing with me,” said the robot. “But if you wish, I can take another form.”
“No, I think we are all fine with that,” said Hamolatonen quickly.
“You may call me Cora,” the robot said. “Having a name may make me more, shall we say, Hianja. Please introduce yourselves.” At this point, Jansec decided to assert himself. He stood up and spoke in a loud voice.
“My name is Jansec and I am the leader of this expedition,” he announced.
“And the individual who spoke previously?” asked Cora.
“I am Captain Hamolatonen. Jansec, myself and the lady next to Jansec, are the three Guardians entrusted with the leadership of the expedition.”
“What is the name of the third Guardian?” asked Cora.
“I am Lanatra,” she said, standing briefly, then sitting down.
“Good,” said Cora. “Would you all kindly stand and introduce yourselves.“ What a polite military AI I thought briefly, trying not to smile.
One by one the members of the expedition stood, introduced themselves and gave a brief job description. It seemed, almost by tacit agreement, Manera and I were left to last. Manera stood.
“My name is Manera-ka Hatekan. I am the scientist on the expedition,” she said briefly.
“A privilege to meet you,” said Cora. “I should like to get together with yourself and Colrania to discuss technical and scientific questions.” Manera was taken aback but recovered quickly.
“That will be most agreeable,” she responded. Finally Cora’s gaze turned to me and I stood, feeling a frisson of nervousness.
“I am Captain Paul Constantine from the planet Earth. I am here as an observer.” there was a few moments of silence. I could imagine her support processors searching the database to try to make sense of who I was.
“Ah yes Captain,” she replied. “You was involved in that unfortunate incident with the dissidents on the planet Mesaroyat. Are you here on an official capacity as Earth’s representative?” Shit, you are bloody smart I thought.
“Er no. I’m afraid Earth has not yet agreed to proceed with contact with the Hianja Federation. I am here in an un-official capacity.”
“If Earth has not agreed to proceed with contact with the Hianja Federation, what is your interest?” she asked.
“I am hoping to persuade them to proceed,” I said. I was beginning to feel trapped, but my hope that she would move on was dashed.
“I do not see the connection,” she said. Well, let’s
get to the point I thought. This, after all, is what we are here for.
“We wish to know more about the Peacekeepers before we agree to make contact.”
“You have concerns?”
“Yes. That should not surprise you. The Peacekeepers are an independent military force, answerable only to their own conscience. On Earth we have not given that degree of independence to AI systems and certainly not military ones. We need to be sure that the Peacekeepers are indeed what their name implies. The keepers of peace, not the bringers of war.”
“Let me ask you Jansec, and your Guardian colleagues, whether that is also your concern?”
“We are here on a fact finding mission,” said Jansec firmly, giving me a dirty look. “We have just discovered the existence of the Peacekeepers, as a result of the incident at Mesaroyat, and we would like to know more about you.”
“How did you discover the location of our base,” asked Cora.
“There were ancient records on Hian detailing the creation of the Peacekeeper force and its location. It was hidden in the archives. But we uncovered the information and asked the Settang Despass to transport us here. It kindly agreed to do so.”
“What is it about us that you wish to know?” asked Cora.
“Well, can we meet for a face to face discussion?”
“Very well,” she (it) said. “Please use one of the Settang Despass fighter aircraft to transport you to the Moon base. I will arrange for you to be taken from there to my central facility where we can converse, face to face, as you put it. Come whenever you please.” The image on the screen faded to be replaced with one showing the moon and its orbiting rock fortifications. I turned to Manera and she smiled pensively.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“For a psychotic robot she was very polite,” I remarked.
“I wouldn’t know, not having met many psychotic robots,” she remarked. “Perhaps we are wrong about the Peacemakers Paul?” she asked.