Superdreadnought 1: A Military AI Space Opera

by CH Gideon

  He lined the pair up in his sights and returned fire.

  Jiya hadn’t expected that, thinking getting hit with blaster fire would have dropped the guy.

  Clearly, she was wrong.

  Ka’nak howled as a shot slammed into his shoulder. He was whipped around and slammed into the wall. His weapon tumbled from his hand in slow motion and clattered to the floor as he dropped to a knee, one hand against the wall propping him up.

  Jiya stared wide-eyed as a second shot struck him in the ribs and blasted him backward. He grunted and frothed as he fell to the deck.

  On instinct, Jiya went to help him up, but he waved her away. “Keep fighting,” he shouted.

  The words triggered her ire.

  She knew damn well he wasn’t fine. He was hurt badly, and it was all her fault.

  Not only had she dragged him into all this, but the plan to storm the scout ship the way they had was hers. Jiya snarled and bared her teeth as blaster fire sparked around her.

  She’d led them all into this, and it was up to her to fix it.

  She ducked as she spun, squeezing the trigger with cruel intent. Her weapon barked searing death down the corridor. The enemy shot back with the same ferocity. They wanted hr just as dead as she wanted them.

  And for a second there, she thought they might succeed.

  A blast struck the wall and ricocheted toward her. She lifted her free hand out of instinct and felt the blast shriek past.

  Then the pain hit her.

  She went to scream, then bit back on it, teeth clenched against the burning sear that engulfed her left hand.

  Jiya staggered back, growling, determined not to let her injury stop her. She forced herself not to look at the wound or imagine how bad it might be. Instead, she thought of Ka’nak on the floor, helpless. He needed her to be strong; they all did.

  If these aliens got past her Ka’nak would die, and Geroux and her uncle might die, too, trapped as they were in the tube.

  She couldn’t have that, so she howled and pressed forward, weapon raised, determined to end what she’d started.

  She was glad to note the alien who’d shot Ka’nak had clearly been wounded worse than he’d let on. He stumbled forward, wobbling down the corridor toward her, one hand holding the blasted metal at his chest as he held his pistol out in a trembling hand. He could barely keep it upright, it seemed.

  The last survivor of his side, likely the one who’d wounded her, hunkered down behind him, using him as a shield like she’d contemplated using Reynolds at the start of the fight.

  It seemed dirty now that she saw it in action, the one alien using his companion as cover, so he had a chance to walk away from the battle alive even if it cost his companion his life.

  Jiya wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

  She stood up, making a show of it, and aimed her pistol at the wounded alien’s head. He did the same in counter, but Jiya ducked, grateful her feint had worked. His weapon came up slower due to his wounds.

  His shot flew over her head.

  She took her shot, aiming low, squeezing the trigger fast and strafing.

  Bolts of energy tore through the wounded alien’s leg and blasted the alien cowering

  behind him. The first shot hit him in the shoulder, spinning him to the side. The second struck his back, and the last shot removed his head as he collapsed.

  He fell to the floor, a smoking wreck.

  His buddy fell to his knees beside him. Wounded and clearly in agony, he hadn’t lost his weapon. He aimed at Jiya as best he could and went to squeeze the trigger.

  Reynolds got there first.

  A bolt of energy flew over Jiya’s shoulder and smashed into the alien’s face. What was left of his head oozed down his back as he toppled over and fell lifeless to the steel deck alongside his partner.

  “Take that, alien scum,” Reynolds told the dead guy.

  Jiya exhaled hard and folded in on herself, letting her weapon drop, her hands clasping her knees to keep her standing. Pain shot up her wrist and forearm, but she still didn’t want to look at her hand; didn’t want to see how bad it was.

  “You hurt?” Reynolds asked her as he went to Ka’nak’s side, examining the Melowi warrior.

  She grunted something nonspecific, letting the AI deal with Ka’nak, who was hurt far worse than she could possibly be.

  Who needs two hands anyway?

  Ka’nak groaned as Reynolds lifted him into his arms. “Bot, get over here,” he ordered.

  The bot did as it was told, and Reynolds handed Ka’nak to it gently. “Get him to Doc Reynolds immediately.”

  “He going to be okay?” Jiya managed to ask, finding herself staring at the warrior’s scrunched face, his pain obvious.

  “I’ve seen far worse,” Reynolds told her. “He’ll be fine. Just can’t lollygag around before getting him help.” The AI smacked the bot on the back. “Get moving.”

  Ka’nak offered up a grimace, clearly doing his best to reassure Jiya as the bot carried him off. Not more than a second later the pair disappeared down the boarding tube, Geroux and Takal having vacated it to make room.

  She smiled at seeing them whole, even though they appeared a tiny bit blurry.

  “You did well, First Officer Lemaire,” Reynolds noted, coming over to stand beside her and setting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “First battle and your crew came out of it mostly intact, and you’ve racked up a solid body count. Good job.”

  Jiya went to respond and stumbled. She grunted and leaned against the wall for support. Reynolds clasped her shoulder harder to keep her upright. He leaned in close, and Jiya saw him swimming before her eyes.

  “Damn it!” Reynolds grumbled. “You’re wounded, too.”

  Jiya unconsciously raised her injured hand to show it to the AI. “I’m all right,” she told him. “Just a tiny bit woozy.”

  She was glad to note that all her fingers were still there, although her armored glove had been mostly torn away. The skin on her hand was blackened and charred, raised bubbles of pus covering the majority of the back. It gleamed silvery in the gloom of the alien ship.

  Her pain grew the longer she stared at her hand, and her nausea wasn’t far behind. She felt bile hitting the back of her throat, the tears blurring her vision even more.

  Then she was swept off her feet and cradled to Reynolds’ chest.

  The world swayed around her, and she saw the concerned faces of Geroux and Takal swim past as the AI ran with her, carting her through the tube and back onto the SD Reynolds.

  “You’re gonna be all right,” the AI told her as he ran. “You’re just in shock, which makes it all seem worse than it is.”

  “Yeah?” she muttered, finding she had little strength to say more.

  “`Tis but a scratch. Just a flesh wound,” he told her. Oddly enough, he chuckled at his own comment, but Jiya didn’t have the wherewithal to understand or ask him why.

  She went limp in his arms, letting herself be carried toward what she presumed was sickbay, where Ka’nak had been taken.

  I hope he’s okay, she thought as her head lolled to the side.

  Her face pressed against Reynold’s android chest, and she stared up at him through the corner of her eye.

  “You know,” she slurred, “you really do need a makeover, Jonny.”

  Reynolds muttered something she couldn’t understand, for which she was probably grateful, and then they arrived in what she recognized as sickbay.

  Then she didn’t see anything, the darkness claiming her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jiya awoke with a start, a strange sense of déjà vu coming over her.

  She realized she was lying down, a plastic-sheeted cot beneath her. Her brain swirled inside her head, her thoughts dancing, and then it struck her.

  It was the same room she’d woken up in when she’d first met Reynolds.

  She groaned and relaxed, then bolted upright.

  My hand!

  Her gaz
e snapped to her injury only to find there was nothing there. She lifted her hand, which was unmarred by the char that had engulfed it, and wiggled her fingers. To her surprise, they moved without hesitation or pain.

  “The miracle of the Pod-docs,” Ka’nak said, coming into the room and offering her a broad grin.

  “Hey! You’re okay!” she shouted, her voice echoing in the small room.

  “More than okay,” he told her, walking over to her bedside.

  Android Reynolds entered the room behind him. “You’re both fine,” he said, coming over to stand beside her bed on the other side. “Ka’nak insisted on coming to see you.”

  “Had to make sure you were recovering,” he told her.

  Reynolds grunted. “Even though I already told him you were.”

  “Some things you just have to see with your own eyes.” Ka’nak patted Jiya on her healed hand, and she was happy to notice it felt normal, not even a hint of the wound remaining. “And now that I have, I’m off to find food. I’m famished.” He waved a quick goodbye and left the room, whistling.

  Jiya watched him leave, then turned back to face Reynolds. “What’s up with him?” she asked. “He seems a bit…weird.”

  Reynolds chuckled. “It’s the drugs,” he answered with a goofy smile. “He was hurt pretty bad, so the Pod-doc pumped him full of painkillers and mood enhancers. He’s flying high right now.”

  Jiya smiled and laid back, resting her head on the pillow there. “They must not have shot me up with the same meds, because all I feel is tired.”

  “You weren’t as bad off,” Reynolds confirmed. “It was serious, no doubt, but nothing life-threatening, given our technology. You got the standard bandaging and cure-all, which means you missed out on the fun drugs. Sorry.”

  She shrugged. “It’s cool. I have booze to make up the difference.”

  Reynolds grunted. “That’ll have to wait a bit, though. While you and Ka’nak were unconscious, and after we swept the alien ship, we returned to Lariest space to recoup.”

  “The look on your face tells me things didn’t go exactly as planned,” she ventured.

  He shook his head. “No, they didn’t. Our adventures above and around your planet haven’t gone unnoticed. Ever since we came back, the governments of your planet, all three of them, including your father’s, have been bombarding us with messages and a number of destroyers from each are patrolling nearby.”

  “Wonderful,” she grumbled.

  The AI nodded. “They’re keeping their distance, more I think to keep from antagonizing each other than us, but still…”

  “What are the governments asking for?” she wondered.

  “Seems each of them is interested in a treaty of some sort, although I’m not entirely certain of the details. Comm is handling the communications, obviously.”

  “Obviously.” Jiya chuckled and sat up, kicking her legs off the side of the bed and stretching as she extended her feet. “So, what do we do?”

  “I think it’s in our best interest to meet with them and see what we can get out of them,” he answered. “While I know you and the rest of the crew have no idea about the Kurtherians, it’s possible the governments of your world do. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for them to keep information from their people for all manner of reasons.”

  “You think they can help us find these guys?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it’s always a good thing to establish trade routes and allies along the way should anything happen to us. A safe place to retreat to lick our wounds is always welcome.”

  She shook her head, smirking. “You think my father will welcome you with open arms?”

  “That’s kind of why I wanted to talk to you,” Reynolds replied.

  Jiya raised an eyebrow and stared at the AI hard. “Something tells me I’m not going to like this conversation.” She clambered out of bed to be face to face with him. “Tell me you’re not asking me to do what I think you are.”

  “I could tell you that,” he said, “but I’d be lying.”

  She groaned and fought the urge to flop back onto the bed and return to sleep. “Too late for the docs to shoot me up with the good stuff?”

  “`Fraid so.”

  “So, I’m not sure you understand my relationship with my father, but he sure as shit isn’t going to take kindly to me approaching him as a representative of an alien species via a superdreadnought.”

  “No?”

  “No.” Jiya bit back a laugh. “The man barely wants to deal with me, and he sure hasn’t shown any inclination to give a damn about me or my agenda, even more so after I ran away from the compound and made him look like a shitty father.” She snorted. “Well, a shittier father. Can’t really say he was ever above a turd in that department, to begin with.”

  “Then here’s your chance to change his opinion. Force him to listen to you,” Reynolds offered. “You’d be arriving in the presence of a superdreadnought backed by a military force unparalleled in the universe. There’s no way he can ignore that.”

  Jiya burst into raucous laughter. “You so don’t know my dad. He can stonewall with the best of them. If you think anything you can do will impress him, you’ve got another think coming.”

  “Then we make sure he understands our potential,” Reynolds countered. “We make him an example for the other governments if we have to.”

  Jiya’s giggles dropped off. “You mean killing him?”

  “Not my first choice, of course,” Reynolds assured her. “I’m not looking to shed blood here, Jiya. I’m looking to make allies of those willing to work with us and make object lessons of those unwilling. We don’t have to kill the man to make our point, but I can’t guarantee it won’t happen if he pushes us too far.”

  Jiya exhaled hard. “I thought the battle with the alien scout was real, but if anything, this makes it more real. A couple of days ago I drove a hovercab. Now I’m going to be responsible for negotiating on a global scale?”

  Reynolds agreed. “It’s a big deal, I’ll admit, but again, don’t look at it as if we’re planning to take out your father or his government. We’re not. That’s not my thing, and it shouldn’t be yours. We’re simply here to take advantage of what we can get in return for as little commitment on our part as possible.”

  “Still, my planet is largely in turmoil,” she warned. “Our meeting with all three of the governments—the Melowi, the Toller, and my father’s—is bound to piss people off in one group or another. Probably all of them at the same time. There’s no gentle way to navigate this minefield.”

  “Which is why I want your help,” he confided. “You know these people far better than I do. If we can put a relatable face out there in our negotiations, we stand a better chance of swaying the locals to our cause.”

  “Or pissing them all off,” she muttered.

  “That possibility exists with all negotiations, of course, but I like to think there’s an opportunity here,” he countered. “We’re not coming in hot and heavy. We’ll approach them diplomatically, with open arms, and see where that gets us. Comm is arranging a dialogue with all three, so the event will be open and transparent.”

  Jiya grunted her uncertainty. “You know how to throw a party,” she said with a nervous laugh. “These three people, the heads of each country, don’t even remotely get along. You might be forcing them to cooperate in a public forum, but I guarantee they will be plotting to stab each other, and us if they think we’re collaborating with the others. They’ll put themselves on top the first chance they get.”

  “Then we go in prepared for it,” Reynolds deflected. “I’ve been around a long, long time, and I’ve seen the very best negotiate under far more complicated circumstances than these. I’m confident we can work out what we need and walk away without issue.”

  “I wish I had your confidence,” she told him. “Maybe I’m just too much of a pessimist to think this is all going to end up hunky-dory.” Jiya met the android’s gaze, sta
ring him down for a second before going on. “I’m still not sure we even need to do this. What do we have to gain?”

  “That uncertainty is what drives me to take the chance,” Reynolds admitted. “Beyond a safe place to alight in our travels, there’s the possibility of food and supplies to be gained, a stable refueling location, and maybe something else we haven’t considered, all in exchange for intel or technology from worlds your people have never seen or even knew existed.”

  “And you think that’s wise—giving advanced tech to a culture in exchange for food and fuel?” she questioned.

  He shrugged. “My mandate from Bethany Anne is clear. We’re to seek out and destroy Kurtherians. Anything I can do to accomplish that, outside of offering up the secrets to the Federation’s martial and intellectual superiority, is on the table,” he explained. “Nothing I pass on to these governments will advance them to the point of overpowering each other or the universe at large, I promise.”

  She sighed, still wondering just how badly they needed to do this. Then she wondered if her aversion to it had more to do with her father than the actual act of meeting with the governments.

  After all these years and everything that had transpired between them, could she bring herself to stare the man in his eye and make demands?

  She wanted to say yes.

  They’d fought before, and Jiya had pushed for her independence and that of her two younger sisters, but that wasn’t the same as what she’d be attempting with Reynolds’ negotiations.

  Just by arriving in the presence of an alien species packing the kind of superior weapon systems the SD Reynolds carried would put her father on his heels. She knew just how well that had worked out for anyone who’d ever tried it.

  Worse still, with Jiya having snuck out of the compound and run away, leaving her father to have to bury her publicly, she’d already crossed the line and incurred his ire. He wouldn’t take kindly to her return no matter what the circumstances.

  Just how far he’d go to make a point concerned her.