Chapter 13: On High Port Space Defense Station
“Hey Alice,” the lieutenant came up to her where she was finishing her latest report on some cyber skullduggery that she had just put an end to.
“What’s up LT?” Alice Jones asked. Alice had come in early that day so the lieutenant could have part of the day off. She had become not just his deputy; but one of his top people. He had no idea that she was a humbot designed by the logistic officer to help with cybernetic security. She had replaced the unit sergeant when the thonian had gone back home to Trena. She had been on the station for only a couple of weeks. He had no idea that part of the reason she was on the station to continue her chase for the traitorous artificial intelligence. He couldn’t believe how fortunate he was to have the master sergeant.
“One of the guys up in surveillance thinks they have a problem.” The lieutenant replied.
“What type of problem,” Alice asked.
“It seems they have a section of northern Trenaport that has become blind to them! DefConnie in the Mountain reports it is not blind to her, but the guys upstairs think it might be a computer security problem. Go up and take a look.” The lieutenant ordered.
“Okay LT.” Alice replied. She got her tool kit and went up to the surveillance shop. It didn’t take her long to get there and five minutes after she got there she knew what the problem was.
“You have been hacked by an AI.” Alice told the unit commander, “I’ve put in a better firewall, and an alarm. So if anything is blocked again, you’ll think the GQ alarm got switched on. I’ve located the records and have emailed them to you Captain.”
“Do I need to deactivate the AIs.” the captain asked.
“No,” Alice said. The bugs she had placed around and in the computer would tell her the story. It was the best lead she had gotten so far while in orbit. Her suspicion concerning DefConnie was growing. DefConnie was the only AI that could misdirect the surveillance system without drawing attention. “I think we’ve got a handle on it.”
“Thanks Sarge,” the captain said.
“Anytime captain,” Alice replied and left the center. Before finishing with the surveillance computers she had sent herself a copy of the surveillance data that she sent to the captain. She reviewed them as she went back to the cyber cops center. When she did it stuck out like a sore thumb. The time span for the photos was the same time span that Lady Wilson had been abducted. They were for a twenty block area of Northern Trenaport. That part of Trenaport that was mostly evacuated. That was where Lady Wilson was being held. She needed to get back down and talk to the people hunting for Lady Wilson.
As she walked into the security shack she quickly had a set of orders written for her, assigning her to the Trena Mounted Patrol team hunting Lady Wilson. When the lieutenant told her about the new orders she left the office and packed her bags. The orders said for her to immediately report to Mr. Kellogg at the Mounty headquarters. With Bugs in his carrier she started for the departure lounge. He had made a lot of friends on the station. No one knew that he was a robot! He was becoming the unofficial mascot for the unit but no one understood why they had never seen him chase the occasional rodent that popped up in the security spaces.
The LT thinking that Alice would be on station until they closed up shop was surprised to see that she was being transferred out. Already she had found several cyber computer criminals and fixed several dozen leaks in the system. He was enjoying her competency. None of his other investigators, including the AI had her skills. She was going to be sorely missed as they began to automate the station, and prepare it to be bombarded by the asteroid field. He made a call to his boss at the computer security division at the Mountain on Trena.
“Major,” the lieutenant spoke into the communicator. “I know it’s highly irregular, but I want to field promote a Tech Sergeant to a Second Lieutenant.”
“Why,” the major asked.
The lieutenant discussed what he knew of Alice’s background, what she had done for him, for the logistics command, and for the palace. He felt she had earned a promotion to lieutenant.
“Okay Ralph,” The major said, he had recommended the lieutenant to his current posting, and the lieutenant had been a warrant officer before he had been promoted to lieutenant. He knew that the LT was not one to promote his people ahead of zone, or to recommend his people for an unusual promotion. He was a good officer that nurtured his people and prepared them for their next assignment. If he was recommending one of his cyber cops be promoted to an officer she had to be hot shit. The major pulled up Alice’s personnel file and made a snap decision. The promotion may only be valid for a couple of months, but she had all the paper work, education, as well as the skills to become a lieutenant. He saw her new orders and then added an addendum. Upon completion of her current assignment Alice was assigned to the Mountain as a first lieutenant in charge of a cyber-security platoon. They were short a lieutenant in that unit and the sergeant that was running it refused to be promoted to a lieutenant. It was a fix the officer liked. The promotion was immediate.
Alice had just gotten to the debarkation lounge for her trip to Trena when a private from her old unit came up to her.
“Sarge,” the private greeted her, “new orders from the Mountain. Oh the LT said to give you these.”
He handed her two single silver bars.
“He also said to keep up the good work, LT.” The young man stepped back brought himself to attention and gave her, her first salute. Not sure why he would salute her she returned it.
“Oh,” Alice commented as she took the paper from the private’s hand and then read the orders. A little stunned, she said “Tell the LT I have received my orders and will comply. Oh and tell him thank you.”
“Aye-aye LT.” the private a young kid that Alice had been working with over the last week, showed a lot of promise and had a bit of a crush on her. He saluted her again and left in a hurry. As he left one of the officers waiting to go planet side turned to her and asked, “What’s going on sergeant?
Alice showed him the orders, he shook he is head saying, “You know this is the first time I have ever heard of being given a promotion in transit. What gives?”
“I don’t know,” the humbot replied, “I will be heading up a cyber-security platoon when I get down.”
“Lieutenant,” the major said, “You’re out of uniform!”
“I am at that,” Alice replied, “By your leave sir?”
The major nodded and walked away shaking his head. Things were sure a changing. Alice checked the time, and decided to treat herself. She had two hours to go before her flight. She left Bugs with the departure clerk in the departure lounge and went to the station’s uniform shop. She emailed them her sizes and what she needed. She showed the clerk her papers and soon had her uniforms. She left the shop and was just in time for her flight. On the flight down she changed from her enlisted uniform to her officer’s uniform. Wishing it didn’t look so new.
Once down, she got a port police officer to take her to Mounted Patrol Headquarters. There she went into the emergency operations center where Lord James was working with Kellogg on the latest intelligence. Kellogg who knew Alice, as did Lord James were both speechless as they saw her come in and not be the klutz they knew her to be. They were both speechless when they saw what uniform she was wearing. Kellogg assumed it was a cover, James for his part didn’t know what to think. Alice presented her orders to Kellogg who nodded and asked, “Why are you here lieutenant?”
“I know where Lady Wilson is,” Alice had been talking with Frasier, the Mounty AI while in route to Mounty headquarters. She had shared what she had discovered with him. Frasier double checked the information and was ready to display the data when Alice walked into the command post, “Frasier please display what we have been working on.”
Lord James looked at the thirty something officer realizing that Alice was not who he thought she was. It was one of the very few t
imes that Alice had ever let on that she was other than a human being.
Frasier displayed the section of Trenaport that the AI had blocked. He then laid down a grid map of the same area. He had worked his way into the municipal service computer and found out what homes and buildings were still drawing power and might be occupied. There were five hundred buildings that someone might be in. Once the display was complete, she explained how she had come about the data.
“DefConnie thinks she’s a smart computer. She is rather dumb.” Alice said with some venom after she made her presentation. Alice was a computer packed into a human looking body, “She doesn’t know I am on to her. I’ll get her next week. After we find Lady Wilson she gets fixed!”
Kellogg and Chief James both noticed the venomous tone of voice. They both thought that it might not be a bad idea to stay on Alice’s good side.
“We can use those cadets for this.” Kellogg said, “I also want to set up staging for the SWAT units here and here.”
James nodded. Pointed to a police officer and said, “Move the SWAT to the fire station here, and the Trenaport Nursing Home. I want them to go from twenty four hour alert to eight hour pad alert. They roll on anything suspicious in the area.”
“I am going to the forward OP at the fire station!” Kellogg said, “Alice I want you forward deployed to provide com security for the team.” Kellogg commanded “It’s too early to tell Lord Wilson.”
“Aye,” James nodded.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 217