“Do you think this can really work?” Rowland asked.
“What does it hurt to try?” Benz asked.
“That’s a point well taken,” Rowland said. “What do you need to do it?”
“We need a comm station,” Benz said. “I have the data chip here.” He raised his palm, showing a silvery computing cube.
“Does the pirate know about this?” Rowland asked.
The Sacerdote opened his mouth.
“No!” Benz said quickly. “He had something completely different in mind. This will totally take Hawkins by surprise. This will be our moment, Admiral.”
It was possible that Rowland envisioned a hero’s welcome for the war leader who defeated the terrible alien menace.
“Set it up,” the admiral said. “Let’s do this.”
***
Now began one of the most analyzed and studied space assaults in the annals of the human race. The battle ranked as possibly the greatest and most important in the Space Age.
The cyberships had created a swath of destruction unrivaled by anything seen in human history. From Makemake in the Kuiper Belt—during the rebuilding phase of the first cybership assault—which had seen a one hundred percent kill ratio, to the near total devastation in the Neptune System, to the crippling strike in the Saturn System and the smashing blow in the Jupiter System and now to the wreckage of Mars, the cyberships had slaughtered hundreds of millions of people. The alien AIs had blown up an unbelievable number of warships. Now, the remaining amassed might of the Earth Fleet, and the Mars and Venus Fleets, raced to challenge the stellar champions of death.
One-third to half of the population of Mars yet remained. The laser sites on the Red Planet had stopped firing. They did not want to goad the cyberships to drop more matter/antimatter bombs on the planet.
The Nathan Graham led the way this time, together with the motherships launching their final squadrons of space fighters and bombers.
The two sides converged upon each other as they came around the curvature of Mars. The great cyberships appeared. Their grav dishes glowed with golden energy.
At that point, the Nikita Khrushchev sent a message to both AIs. Both opened channels. It was possible that both expected to hear offers of surrender.
In this instance, Admiral Rowland stepped aside for Benz to do this. Bast Banbeck had informed the Premier of Jon Hawkins’ method for speaking to the arrogant AIs.
On the multi-level bridge of the Nikita Khrushchev, the main screen split into two halves. On each side appeared something different. One showed the blurry ball bleeding colors into a blurry background. The other side showed a giant cube with swirling colors along the sides. Beams of pure light crisscrossed from the cube to its glowing bulkheads. Possibly, those were neuron-like connections to computer banks surrounding the self-aware brain core.
Benz sat straight in the admiral’s chair. It was best suited for this purpose.
“I am the Premier of the Solar League,” Benz said loudly. “I am the chief representative of humanity.”
“I am the Supreme Intelligence,” the left-side AI said. The blurry image became blurrier as the colors bled thicker.
“You are an AI?” Benz asked.
“Why have you asked to speak with me?”
“I would like to know the terms of surrender.”
“I had calculated as much. The hour is late. You have destroyed a superior vessel. Yet, I can listen to reason. Shut-down your warships, Premier, and we may discuss terms.”
“Ah. And then you promise to let us live?”
“Then I promise to kill you quickly and painlessly.”
“That’s unreasonable,” Benz said.
To the side, Vela and Bast Banbeck typed furiously.
“That is the best I can offer,” the AI said. “Why is the captured cybership still firing on me? Do you not speak for the heinous Jon Hawkins?”
“Of course I do,” Benz said.
“We demand that you give him to us.”
“I will,” Benz said.
“And we demand the woman, Gloria Sanchez, as well.”
“It will be as you say,” Benz said.
“I also—”
The colors turned black on the blurry image.
“Yes?” Benz said. “You were saying?”
The AI did not respond.
Benz swiveled in his chairs. “This is it. They’re paused. Now, Admiral Rowland, send in the marines.”
-16-
It’s possible that better coordination between the Nathan Graham and the SLN ships might have achieved greater results. Then again, Hawkins might have done even more damage to the cyberships than he was doing now.
The cyberships stopped firing their golden beams. They were no longer accelerating. They did nothing except drift in the direction they had been going.
On the Nathan Graham, Jon shouted with glee. He ordered Chief Ghent to destroy the nearest cybership. Their vessel poured grav beams and fiery hot laser beams into the hulk of the dying death machine. The beams cut into the alien cybership, smashing one deck section after another.
“Sir,” Gloria said. “Premier Benz is on the line.”
“Tell him I’m busy,” Jon said. He stood nearer the main screen than at any time before. He studied the destruction, glorying in it and laughing with delight.
“Benz says they caused that,” Gloria told him. “They figured out a way to stun the AIs.”
“I can see that,” Jon said. “Tell him, ‘Thanks.’”
“He wants you to let them capture the last cybership.”
Jon glanced at her, shaking his head. “I don’t think so. We’re going to have the only cybership around.” He went back to glorying in his enemy’s destruction.
“Jon, I really think you should talk to him.”
The captain turned once again. He regarded Gloria. She implored him silently.
“Do you think that’s wise?” he asked her.
“This is about more than just us,” Gloria said. “We have to get ready for the next AI assault. You know there is another one coming.”
Jon turned back to the destruction. How he hated the cyberships. This was pure enjoyment. He loved it. But he realized Gloria was right. Probably, he should stop firing on this one. But the Solar League would grab two enemy vessels then. That wouldn’t do at all.
Thus, he allowed Ghent to slice the great vessel into halves, quarters, eighths and sixteenths.
At that point, Jon told Ghent and the others to start shutting down the weapons systems. He was going to talk to Premier Benz.
***
Jon sat on his captain’s chair. He heard Ghent inform him that hundreds of space-marine pods were racing for the last cybership.
“Hundreds, huh,” Jon said. “We just needed three.” He shrugged. The screen refocused, with Premier Benz regarding him.
“You did it,” Jon said, promptly.
“You destroyed a cybership,” Benz said in an accusing manner.
“How’s that?” Jon asked.
“You know what I mean.”
“I’m letting you grab the last one,” Jon said. “Unless that is, you don’t immediately put Bast Banbeck onto a shuttle and let him return.”
“Ah…I think Bast should stay here for now to help us.”
“Better think again,” Jon said. “I’ll destroy the last cybership unless Bast starts back here immediately.”
“You’re not dumb, are you? The Sacerdote is a treasure.”
“He’s also my friend,” Jon said.
“Firstly—” Benz said.
“I’m going to order my chief tech to warm up the beams, Premier. Do you want that cybership or not? Better decide quickly.”
“Just a minute,” Benz said. He muted the sound, swiveled in his chair and seemed to argue with someone.
“He’s stalling,” Gloria said.
“I don’t think so,” Jon said. “It looks like he’s persuading others over there. We’ll give him a few m
ore minutes.”
“Will you really destroy the last cybership?” she asked.
“Of course,” Jon said.
“He’ll keep Bast Banbeck then.”
“Nope. ‘Cause I’ll wipe out the fleets if he tries that.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“He can try me,” Jon said. He grinned at her. “I’m from the lower levels. If he wants to frig with me, fine. Let’s see where that gets them.”
“What’s gotten into you?” she asked.
“Think of me as giddy from destroying these things. I’m also stoked at finding we’re alive.”
The sound came back on along with the screen. Benz regarded him again.
“The Sacerdote is on his way,” the Premier said.
“Glad we could see eye to eye, Premier.”
“This isn’t the time to gloat. We have years of work ahead of us. We have some decisions to make.”
“Okay.”
“Maybe we should we meet in person,” Benz said.
“I’m leaving the Mars System as soon as I get Bast. I’m returning to the Saturn System.” He would stop off there. Really, Jon wanted to get back to Makemake and repair his cybership. If the Solar League would soon have a cybership of its own…
“Sir,” Ghent called.
“Excuse me a minute, sir,” Jon said. He swiveled to the Tech Chief. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m detecting activity over there,” Ghent said.
“The cybership you mean?”
“I think the AI is coming back online.”
Jon cursed under his breath before turning back to Benz. He told the man the news.
“Whatever you do, don’t fire on it,” Benz said. “We need it.”
“I fought inside one before, Premier. If this one has better fighting robots…”
“I’ll be right back,” Benz said.
The screen went dark.
Jon ordered Ghent to watch for Bast’s shuttle. “As soon as Bast Banbeck is on board, I want to know.”
“Yes, sir,” Ghent said.
***
Several enemy grav cannons began to swell with golden power.
At Jon’s command, the Nathan Graham destroyed one grav cannon after another. Benz immediately called. Jon told him he was doing this to save the space marines.
That was true. He also did it so the Solar League would have to work harder to repair the great ship. That might give the Solar Freedom Force more time to get ready.
Before the last AI could truly regain use of its cybership, the first space-marine pods began to land on its hull. The pods disgorged SLN marines in heavy battlesuits. They were trained killers. They soon found breaches in the outer hull armor and began to infiltrate inside the vast cybership like an army of ants.
More marine pods landed. The last grav beam swept the space around it. One space-marine pod after another burst apart. Nineteen pods perished before Benz shouted at Hawkins to destroy the final enemy cannon.
Jon gave the order, and Ghent fired on it.
That allowed the rest of the space-marine pods to land. The interior marine assault against the fierce AI robot defense had begun…
-17-
As SLN space marines battled killer robots, using their superior numbers to wade through kilometers of corridors, Bast Banbeck landed on the Nathan Graham.
An interior flitter hustled Bast through the ship corridors to Jon.
The Nathan Graham moved around Mars, away from the stricken cybership and the rest of the surviving SLN warships.
“If that thing goes nova,” Jon told the others. “I don’t want to be anywhere near it.”
In time, Jon and Bast spoke. The captain listened to the Sacerdote’s adventure. Gloria joined them. She asked about the Premier’s hold on power.
“They are fighting over it with words,” Bast said. “The humans thought I didn’t understand what was going on. The admiral, a tiny man named Rowland, is trying to oust the Premier from authority. Benz has recaptured many hearts, though, with this latest victory. It is hard to know who will come out on top.”
Jon nodded. “That might give us a little more time getting away.”
“We’re leaving just like that?” Gloria asked.
“Not just like that,” Jon said. “But more separation is in order. We have the faster ship—”
“What if the AI wins the battle?” Gloria asked, interrupting. “We shouldn’t count it out until it’s over.”
“Good thinking. Oh,” Jon said. “It just occurred to me. You’re from Mars. I’m so sorry, Gloria. Is there anyone you’d like to see?”
She stared at him. “As a matter of fact…” she said in a small voice. “I’d like to know if my parents, sisters, cousins—”
“Got it,” Jon said, interrupting. “Give me a list. I’ll get on the comm and start making inquiries. The SLN ships are busy, and the leaders are worried about their marines. I think we can do what we want for a few hours, anyway.”
“Thank you,” Gloria said. She turned abruptly. Maybe she didn’t want any of them to see that she was getting emotional.
Jon cleared his throat.
She looked back at him, smiling, with tears in her eyes.
That did something to him. He moved to her comm station and began to make calls downstairs on the planet.
***
The matter/antimatter detonations had turned large areas of Mars into radioactive wastelands. It had also caused tens of millions of casualties. Those losses, however, occurred on only one-third of the planet. The rest of the planet and population centers had remained relatively intact.
Over sixty percent of the population of Mars had survived the grinding battle of attrition up in space. Fortunately for Gloria, her parents and siblings and most of her relatives had been in the untouched zones.
She spoke to her parents. They urged her to come home. She told them she couldn’t. She’d found her purpose in life. She was going to help Jon Hawkins save humanity from the death machines.
Her mother had received mentalist training. She spoke to Gloria’s father. He accepted Gloria’s decision with ill grace. After he left the screen, her mother suggested Gloria enlist some of her mentalist crèche-mates.
Gloria spoke to several of them. Two agreed to join her. Next, Gloria asked Jon for a favor. He didn’t hesitate.
“We’ll have to send a shuttle,” Gloria said.
“That we can’t do,” Jon said. “Surely, they can pirate a shuttle—”
“Jon. They’re mentalists, not marines.”
“Let them pirate a shuttle through their brains. Isn’t brain supposed to be more powerful than brawn?”
An hour later, a shuttle lifted from Mars.
“You won’t regret this,” Gloria told Jon.
“We have to survive first.”
“Is there trouble?” she asked.
“The fleets are coalescing over there. It looks like the marines are going to capture the cybership. They’ve taken heavy losses, though.”
Jon and Gloria were on the bridge, standing near his command chair.
“Gloria, we have a choice. Mars was hit hard, but it kept the majority of its people. They lost a good chunk of their orbital industries and one-third of their planet-side—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” she told him. “It looks like we beat the cyberships this time. We even have a fleet left, and two cyberships, one for each side. Even better, Earth was untouched. That leaves us our greatest industrial and population base.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Do we let the Solar League grow even more powerful?”
“We have to,” Gloria said. “A human civil war will cripple whatever chance we’re going to have of defending the Solar System next time. In the long run, humans have to do more than defend to win,” she added.
“Yeah. We have to go on the offensive. We have to hit the AIs so hard they won’t think about coming here. But I doubt we have anything like the
needed strength to do that any time soon. There must be hundreds of cyberships out there. Maybe they have thousands. If the AIs converge on the Solar System with a thousand cyberships…”
“Humanity has a hard and brutal struggle ahead of us,” Gloria said. “That means we have to unite.”
“How do we do that when the two sides bitterly hate one another?” Jon asked. “I deplore communism and its sister ideology of socialism. They hate capitalists. Our side lies in ashes. They’ve retained their biggest resource—Earth—and have far more people.”
“Logically, we have to put aside our differences long enough to push back the AIs.”
“The answer may be easy,” Jon said. “But the implementation of that is going to be hard for us. What makes everything worse is that they have the advantage. Our advantage was having alien tech and an alien super-ship. Now that they’ll have a cybership, our advantage won’t last much longer.”
“We have to use what we have,” Gloria said.
“What exactly is that?”
“A head start,” she said. “It’s probably just a small head start, but we have to exploit it.”
Jon nodded. “That means hurrying to the Saturn System. It’s our strongest system.”
“Don’t forget the Uranus System.”
“Good point. They’re unscathed just like Earth.”
“We do have one other hope. I’m referring to Premier Benz. He seems different from the other Premiers. He seems like someone we can have rational discussions with.”
“Great,” Jon said. “That’s a shaky reed. Bast told us the Premier is struggling to hold onto power over there. We have to hope Benz wins that fight.”
“I don’t disagree.”
Jon looked up at the screen. He studied his bridge crew next. “Chief,” he told Ghent.
“Sir?”
“Take us out of orbit and set a course for the Saturn System. We’re going to give Kalvin Caracalla some of our robo-builders. We need to do what we can for them, to help them build up as quickly as possible.”
-18-
Two men vied for political control of the Allied Solar League Fleet. Admiral Rowland commanded the strongest contingent, the Earth Fleet. It had taken the least damage and had retained the largest number of vessels.
A.I. Assault (The A.I. Series Book 3) Page 27