ARTIS PRIME

by Tobias Roote

  Using her speed again, RIGA raced around the room first dropping the temperature, then immediately afterwards, the pressure. One by one they fell. RIGA continued to repeat the process, then watched the gauges plummet. She knew that they were about ten minutes away from hitting break even on the dials. When they dropped below that figure it would take an extended effort to reverse the flow and regain the lost temperature and pressure. Given she hadn’t yet been discovered RIGA calculated it would give her at least half an hour to access the building from above.

  She blasted the dials locking them into their downward spiral. They would have back-ups somewhere, but this would make it more difficult for them to recover control. Her sensors detected activity towards the door which made her look up at the locked entrance.

  A bright light illuminated a spot on the locked door, where a plasma torch was being used to cut through. RIGA had been discovered. Her sensors evaluated the readings she was getting, calculating from the speed of the cut that they would be inside within ten minutes.

  With no means of bringing the power back up they would need a further five minutes, or more, to organise backup consoles and then a further ten minutes to achieve a working power source. She had enough time to get to the bottom of the corridor and jump out. Her inner clock informed her that she had another ten minutes before Gossie turned on the drones.

  It would be close. She ran, her invisibility no longer operating and no longer necessary; they knew she was here.

  RIGA ran for the outer door, knowing she had to deal with the two guards who would be somewhere in the corridors. They would have been warned and were probably laying in wait, or fast-tracking back to catch her within the complex. As she raced through the entrance into the corridor beyond, RIGA heard a warbling sound and ducked her head.

  Dammation! Her forward motion sent her into a roll and she went with it, using the motion to carry her closer to her assailant. She was still going too fast for her sensors to provide threat analysis so used the speed she had built up to give her the advantage.

  Her blaster pointed towards the threat as she came upright out of the roll, still running, her speed her saviour. The AI guard was calculating the next shot. The human guard didn’t, he simply fired at her without trying to aim. The hit took her in the chest, but the shield she had long forgotten about, now protected her, the red overload dissipating in a millisecond. Her blaster took the human in the head in a single burst. RIGA now only had to deal with the AI.

  It was quick, using the delay the human had provided to hastily retreat. It ducked back through the doorway out of range of her blaster. RIGA, calculating the shield would protect her, allowed her momentum to take her on through, rolling again to reduce the chance of a direct hit.

  The AI had set its blaster to wide dispersal, thinking a blanket of lower power would still take her out. Wrong! The shield didn’t even notice the power spread leaving RIGA with an easy shot. Her blast took the AI in the chest and upwards through the head. It was a pile of junk before it hit the ground.

  Pausing to analyse the situation, RIGA sensed guards approaching from two sides, the perimeter corridor that fed off the one she came through and the generator room behind her. Time to go.

  A laser glanced off her shoulder as RIGA leapt up, on the run, to grab the tiny drone that was still passively lodged in the ceiling, silently waiting to be reactivated. Only it's anti-grav controlling its position in the dark corner had kept it out of view. She didn’t want to leave any trace behind that could lead back to ESSG and didn’t trust the self destruct protocols built into the device when in the hands of sophisticated scientists who could dismantle them.

  Running through the dark corridors, using her mental map and memory of the route rather than lights, RIGA counted on the pursuit being unsure and having to move slower. She was all too soon at the edge of the hole with nowhere to go until Gossie switched on the drones. They would be chain-switched, which meant they would awake in a cascade from the closest drone to Gossie.

  RIGA decided she might have to manually activate them. Her sensitive hearing caused her to turn her attention to the route she had come. Pursuit was on the way, she had maybe two minutes before they found her, then escape would be impossible if Gossie didn’t switch everything on.

  RIGA calculated there was still three minutes to go and she would need every second, she needed to speed things along. Concentrating on the two drones in her hands, her heel connectors accessed the first one, manually reactivating it and instructing it to hover by the hanging cable in the centre of the black hole. RIGA then directly linked the second to the first so they would share any load sent through their links. It followed the first but waited a hundred feet out into the blackness. She now had good strong links between her and Gossie.

  A blaster burn hit her on the shoulder, the unexpected impact nearly throwing her into the cavernous black hole. Her shield flashing viciously as reinforcements arrived creating a stunning reflection of light down the corridor, which was even now, pouring a combination of blaster and laser fire at her. She turned to fire down the corridor, her blaster ten times more powerful than theirs. The plasma beam created a weird effect as it ploughed through the corridor and into the leading edge of guards. They could only proceed two abreast, easy targets for RIGA if they didn’t pull back. They were getting closer, being pushed from behind by the AI's. RIGA fired again to slow them down some more.

  The shield continued to reflect and dissipate the intense fire coming in a solid stream down the corridor glowing incandescently on the side receiving the blasts. RIGA instructed the two drones to move off centre out of the direct line of fire, should it reach that far. Then noting a small remnant of metal extending where the worker hadn’t cut cleanly, RIGA gripped the edge and swung her body onto the tiny ledge. Temporarily protected, she pulled herself out of the line of fire while counting down the seconds.

  When an arm extended out from the corridor entrance, holding a blaster angled toward her, everything went black as her body instantly disintegrated.

  Gossie was twenty seconds early.

  21. The Pinnacle

  “That was close enough - what’s the situation in the pinnacle?”

  “I have located Fregal, Pelon is in there too, but I cannot tie down his locator. He’s using some kind of diffuser that puts his location in multiple places which often change. All I can say is, he’s in there,” Gossie informed her.

  “Jump me to Fregal’s location. Access their systems while I distract them, I need to know destinations of all deliveries for the last six months,” RIGA said.

  The jump took RIGA directly into Fregal’s office. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t expecting anyone to appear inside the room. He screamed for the guards protecting him from outside as RIGA materialised yards in front of him.

  Not wanting to use her blaster, RIGA had released her fring, now activating it as she swept it up and across the space between them. Fregal’s head was off his body before the human guards piled through the door. Another cut with her whip and Fregal’s chest cavity was a smoking ruin. No coming back from the dead for you, she thought.

  RIGA leaped across the room towards the door, firing her blaster directly into the guards while they desperately tried to bring her down with their own weapons. Her shield protected her while two very surprised guards who thought she should be dead, went down under her return fire. The remaining two guards backed up determinedly to block access to the door.

  RIGA stopped in front of them holstering her blaster momentarily, then swiping her whip alternately left and right in front of them. The hot plasma sliced straight through flesh, cauterising the initial bleed before it had time to start while the severed limbs dropped to the floor, blasters still gripped by dead and useless hands.

  Being human, they panicked, trying to fall back away from her whip which still smoked from the contact with human flesh. RIGA helped by pushing them with force, needing the doorway clear. They went flying backwards into
the hallway, sprawling in a heap. They were suddenly very interested in stemming the flow of new blood from their wounds, giving her no further cause for concern. Guards poured into the corridor firing both blasters, flechettes and lasers at her.

  RIGA had nowhere to hide and flinched expecting the worst, but her shield absorbed the combined fire. Blackened walls remained testament to the ferocity of the attack. Wondering how much the shield could take, RIGA had no choice but to run forward firing into the densely packed guards. Unable to aim as the shield was now a deep crimson from the concentrated blaster and laser, she relied on her sensors, but they were hampered by the interference from the weapons fire. If she was continually blinded, they could potentially overcome her.

  Firing blindly, RIGA slowly advanced down the corridor, her determined pace forcing the unshielded guards to fall back, taking more pressure off her shield. As her sensors began to work reliably and the shield cooled RIGA had a moment to consider that she had probably taken the shield to its limit and had been lucky to get through the firefight intact.

  Running to keep ahead of guards coming up behind her, RIGA realised she hadn’t seen any AI defences yet.

  Why was that?

  She analysed the situation as she ran and quickly determined that AI security here would need to have access to the network which would increase the personal risk to Pelon. He didn’t want anyone to have access, a strange approach to take, but if Pelon were paranoid, then it would explain the lack of AI involvement so far. She remembered the cameras not reacting to her incursion of the power station below.

  ‘Gossie, how are you doing with access to Pelon’s network?’

  'I have access to Fregal’s network hub, it's the same one I had access to via the Helis AI, but there seem to be no direct links to the rest of the network. Pelon is one paranoid AI, he doesn’t even trust his partner‘I.'

  RIGA thought she understood. Fregal was always only the worker, albeit on a higher level to the others. Pelon was the master here and his secrets were not for sharing. The best security, RIGA had been taught, was to never share information. EVER. Pelon appeared to encompass this thinking. No matter, first she needed to destroy him, then worry about the information and the Tochin later.

  As she ran through the building, she looked for a probable access point that might lead to Pelon’s lair. Believing it to be at the top of the building, RIGA ran towards the anti-grav lift at the end of the corridor. More blaster fire followed until she slipped out of sight in the elevator.

  At the next level, she was confronted with more laser fire from guards stationed directly at the shaft entrance. The shield held and she blasted them rather than use the whip, deciding it was less messy as humans bled so much when their limbs were removed.

  This area was clear according to Gossie, and RIGA continued to the penultimate level. Before she even arrived, guards were firing down the shaft at her head which concentrated the fire into one small area which seemed to take most of the shield’s efforts to divert.

  Not being able to see through the now crimson shield, RIGA aimed the blaster up at their rough position and was satisfied when the fire stopped and she recovered her ability to see ahead.

  As soon as she stepped out pushing past the bodies of the guards RIGA knew something was amiss. With senses on full alert, she walked cautiously forward keeping to the wall of the corridor to reduce her exposure. She needed to see and couldn’t afford for the shield to cloud over again. Remembering Kalla, she paused.

  ‘Gossie, I need two drones.’

  They materialised right in front of her and hovered while she accessed them and gave them their instructions.

  The first one shot forward down the corridor running an evasion routine that had it ducking and diving all over the place. She wanted it to activate any defences, but not get shot if it could be avoided. The second she kept in reserve. It followed her closely, mimicking her own moves.

  ‘There is a strong burst of electrical activity at the end of the corridor,’ Gossie advised, using the overlaid sensor feed she was giving RIGA to indicate the danger.

  RIGA pressed ahead following the drone’s activities closely. As it approached the door the drone seemed to come up against an invisible barrier then dropped to the floor in a burst of flames. RIGA stopped.

  So, Pelon’s defence was some kind of forcefield. Her sensors extended to read the signals coming from the doorway. There was something about the frequency and resonance that seemed familiar.

  It appeared to be linked to an electrical charge. RIGA was unsure how he was managing to create the field. She fired on it and was surprised to see the blast spread over the invisible screen, completely neutralised by whatever technology was operating. It was evidently a shield of some sort, much like the Terran shield she was using.

  Would her shield protect her from its defences? She decided it was too risky to attempt to get through it. She needed some way to bypass it and reach Pelon. RIGA pushed her senses out as wide as she could trying to detect the limit of the shield. It was strongest at the door and seeped into the walls and floor around it to a varying degree, but never less than ten feet. However, Pelon had not protected access from above as far as RIGA could sense.

  ‘Gossie, can you detect the room ahead well enough to jump me there?’ She was aware that the sensors would not give Gossie a layout plan so she could easily re-materialise in the middle of a cabinet or desk.

  ‘It’s risky. I’m still only getting sporadic readings off Pelon, He might not even be in there,’ Gossie said reluctantly, evidently not happy with the idea. Without a clear signal, it could be suicide.

  ‘Send in a drone first,’ RIGA suggested.

  ‘Good idea.’ The drone hovering at RIGA’s shoulder disappeared. A tiny pop sounded near RIGA’s ear as air rushed to fill the vacuum.

  Laser fire came from behind her as guards arrived via the lifts and other corridors. RIGA turned to fire back, saw they were carrying some kind of metal shield to deflect her beams. They were close enough to see her smile and probably aware of the carnage she had wrought on her way up here, looked decidedly worried.

  ‘Get ready... ’ Gossie warned.

  RIGA found herself standing behind Pelon while he was inputting commands into his computer manually. He must be so paranoid, she decided, that he wouldn’t risk transferring the commands electronically in case of eavesdroppers.

  So intent was he on what he was doing, he hadn’t noticed her arrival. She waited a moment while Pelon frantically typed into the mobile terminal. Then, as if he suddenly realised he wasn’t alone, he swung around to face her.

  “Pelon, how nice to see you again,” said RIGA. She had set her blaster to wide dispersal so that she could totally fry him if he tried to retaliate. He froze, hands slipping away from the keyboard. RIGA grabbed hold of his robe and pulled him away from the control panel so that he was now in the middle of the room. His image shimmered briefly and RIGA knew she had lost her chance to kill him. He had activated a personal shield.

  With his defences now up Pelon was looking smug, as if he knew something RIGA didn’t.

  “Ambassador, how good of you to join me. I was just going to visit some friends,” he smiled.

  “Those friends wouldn’t be the Tochin, would they?” RIGA replied.

  “Ah! RIGA, you come so well informed,” he continued with his smug smile. “I was warned about you. Interesting video of your skills on the DAN,” he acknowledged. “I think you will find that I’m a little better protected than they were, thanks to your friend Osachi. He proved very cooperative in the end.”

  RIGA realised that Pelon was hiding something, but couldn’t figure out what yet, and her sensors were wavering as if she was moving, which was impossible, wasn’t it?

  ‘Gossie, what’s he up to, I can’t quite figure it out,’ RIGA called to her AI.

  There was no reply. RIGA realised her escape had been blocked. A shield had come on around the whole of the office.

  R
IGA then saw the background moving through the window behind Pelon.

  “Are those stars moving?” she said.

  Pelon chortled out loud, having fully recovered himself.

  “Oh yes, RIGA, it’s moving. What's more, in a few minutes, this ship’s hyper-drive will engage which means you will shortly be in the hands of my business partners. They are most interested in getting to know you better since your unexpected disappearance of the DAN.”

  RIGA, impressed despite her situation, took a moment to look out the windows as the view changed to one of Helis more distant, as would be seen from the Space Station above the asteroid. Pelon wasn’t lying. The whole top of the building was a spaceship. Clever.

  ‘Gossie?’ RIGA shouted across their private network again, hoping her call would get through.

  As she called out to her friend, RIGA’s hand covered the console, keeping an eye on Pelon who was keeping out of her reach. He obviously realised that he didn’t need to do anything as his ship would obviously proceed of its own accord into hyperspace when far enough from Artis Prime.

  The feelers sought out a connection in the control system and RIGA concentrated on trying to break into Pelon’s systems. She was right, he was paranoid, they wouldn’t operate unless it was him giving the commands. She could identify the different modules but couldn’t access the navigation or the drives. Instead, she concentrated on the defences and found the one that controlled the shields for the ship. It was well locked down. She would have to try something unsophisticated. A brute force attack on the software was called for; she realised didn’t need to access it, just force it to fail.

  “So, what did you sell out your own people for, Pelon? Money? Power?” RIGA needed to keep Pelon talking while she tried to disable the shield.