The room was silent.
Harden began to grin. "Finally, the blind can see the light!"
I walked the floor to Harden's location, looking down. "If any of us suspect you're up to no good, I'll be more than happy to crush your skull with my fist."
Harden eyed my clinched hand as he slowly got to his feet. "I'll bet you would. OK, just let me say a few things first. Those AIs, when we first came upon them in the Yallux galaxy, I thought, wow, this is incredible. Just think of what we could do with thousands of these controlling millions of bots. We could build great cities, terraform new planets. No citizen would ever have to work again. Those are powerful motivators, and they were the reason for initially welcoming the AIs into the alliance.
"There were worlds to explore and conquer out there, and the AIs would enable us to do exactly that while at the same time healing up our infections. Imagine all of our trade disputes settled, all of our daily needs met. Our focus as an alliance could be turned toward discovery and growth.
"However, I soon discovered my early acceptance of the AIs was a huge mistake. They were prolific, inserting themselves into every task. Taking control of every need. We were lucky we were able to rein them in before it was too late. The Grotus and then the Tamarin showed me the light. The AIs are insidious. You had to take a step back to see the big picture of what was really going on.
"Once I had come to that realization, the AIs turned on me and made alliances with the Tamarin. You were all there; you can see how easily they took control once they had their numbers up. The Tamarin were blind to what was happening, just as the Grunta are today. I've made my mistakes, but my goal, once I realized the danger of the AIs, was always to rid us of their kind. It may not have appeared so at times, but we have been on the same side for much longer than you think."
I said, "And all that talk about controlling all of the galaxies and then pushing our influence beyond the six?"
Harden half smiled. "I'll admit I can be ambitious. And as I said, I will admit to having made mistakes. But my loyalties have always been to our peoples. I would add that I sometimes use rhetoric as a motivator, so things said may not always properly reflect my intent."
Joni shook her head. "You might as well quit trying to blow smoke in the faces of these people. We all know who you really are. I'll add this one thing before shutting up. I've stepped in repeatedly to save you from your due punishment. If you foul this up, I won't be stepping in. You either do this right or I'll personally see to it that justice is served."
Harden smiled. "It's nice to know that my family will be standing behind me. Now, I need my team..."
Chapter 18
* * *
Harden Salton wasted little time pulling together as many of his prior staff members as he could. An operations center was set up, and the once self-proclaimed ruler of much of the Triangulum galaxy got to work. Within days a dozen news broadcasts were released, highlighting the improvements that were being put in place and what the long term effects of those improvements would be. In addition, taxes were once again lowered and all portals between colonies were opened for free and unlimited travel.
A week into the new regime and the Wolf-Lundmark-Melotte galaxy scheduled a vote on secession. Harden made a trip in an attempt to sway governors to our side. An assassination attempt cut the trip short. The news feeds were immediately flooded with stories of how the AIs and the Andromeda alliance were meddling in the business of the Wolfe and her colonies.
Denials of such unscrupulous activities were immediately written off as further propaganda. I made a special trip to Alpha Prime to see Harden's operation at work. A large warehouse had been converted to the op-center. Six groups of staffers occupied conference tables with holo-displays floating above as other staffers scurried between the groups. Harden entered the op-center upon his return from the Wolfe.
I stepped into his path as he headed for a worktable. "Make it fast, Mr. Beutcher. We have deadlines to meet."
I said, "I saw the news feeds about the attempt on your life. We can provide some added security if needed."
Harden laughed. "Good! I have to commend my people for managing that story. There was no attempt. That was both a ploy to make me look sympathetic and to make everyone suspicious of the Andromedans. Your reaction tells me that it was successful."
I stopped. "There was no assassination attempt?"
Harden smiled. "Even the explosion on the deck of the transport was simulated. There were no injuries and no damage was done to anything but the reputation of the Andromedans."
Harden gestured for me to continue to follow as he walked toward the workgroup in front of us. "This group up here was responsible for that entire story and all of the news feeds surrounding it. You know, we still have access to the feeds through the security stations in all six galaxies. Those same stories played in Andromeda to billions of concerned citizens."
I asked, "Whose idea was this?"
Harden replied, "This came from the team. We've done a thousand stories just like this over the years. You know, our trade wars with the other families of the New Alliance were of little consequence as compared to the propaganda machines each of the families had running. The discontent in so many of our colonies was the doing of the other families. Of course, their issues were much worse than ours. The people in this room are probably the finest propaganda machine one could ask for. Simply brilliant."
I said, "So that's how we win this thing? We lie, cheat, and steal?"
Harden slapped me on the shoulder. "Welcome to politics, Mr. Beutcher. Power comes from the people. If they are behind you, there is nothing you can't accomplish. You can lie, cheat, and steal, be rude and obnoxious and ruthless, but none of that matters so long as they give their support. Once you resort to force, any support can quickly dry up."
"So why did you resort to force, most notably conscription?" I said.
Harden pursed his lips. "My hand was forced. Support had fallen to a level that encouraged rebellion. The use of force is a double edged sword. It can be useful to quell rebellion through threat, but it is a short-lived policy that can easily end badly, as we saw."
I looked over Harden's shoulder as he browsed data on a display. "The assassination attempt by the Igari where you were injured, was that staged as well?"
Harden shook his head. "No, that was real. I still don't know how Jalud escaped. We locked that place down tight. He couldn't possibly have gotten out of that compound or off planet."
I said, "We took care of him. You can thank Go for being there for you."
Harden stopped and turned. "What? You people did that? What did you do with him? I'd like to find out who set that up."
I replied, "Jalud is gone. He won't be answering any questions. Just accept that you were spared and move on."
Harden turned back to face the display. "You people are always full of surprises, Mr. Beuthcer. Just when I think I have you figured out, you do something that I could not imagine being possible. One day I would like to be let in on your secrets."
I frowned. "I doubt that day will ever come, Mr. Salton. Our secrets will only be revealed with trust and at the moment you are running a huge deficit."
Harden laughed, "And just what is expected of me? How can I eradicate that deficit?"
I said, "Perhaps if you give your life for the cause. I would happily reveal them to you then."
Harden swiped at the display. "I see. Well, I can't say that I will be in a rush to gain that trust then. I can't say that I like the cost."
Harden pointed to the data in front of him. "There! We are already up five points in the polls since the incident. Mr. Blodgett? How is phase two coming?"
The staffer replied, "The attack on the governor of Balexia should be underway shortly. He is fully aboard with the simulations and is willing to take the political risk. We've assured him Balexans will be sympathetic to the news feeds that will be released afterwards. Out teams have been recording and refining those br
oadcasts for the last forty-eight hours. We will be applying the same news blitz as before, only this time all reports will appear to originate from Balexia."
Harden asked, "Does the governor have a pet?"
Bonair Blodgett replied, "Yes, Sir. He does. It's a Glacow Penguin. The people love that penguin. Rumor has it he would not have been elected without including it in his campaign news feeds."
Harden nodded. "Good. Pets can be a powerful tool. Kill it."
Bonair grimaced, "Sir?"
Harden shook his head in disappointment over the misunderstanding of his intent. "Don't physically kill it, Mr. Blodgett. Simulate its death. People will be outraged. And give them a simulated character from Andromeda that has been captured. Have him spew a few nasty words to the camera before he blows himself up. Make it a nice neat package that the governor can easily keep investigative control over. Tell him his numbers will skyrocket. His beloved pet will have to be put into hiding for a while, a small price to pay for his increased popularity."
I said, "You have this down to a science, don't you?"
Harden pulled up a new data feed. "There will be several more incidents in the coming days. The Andromedans will be looked upon with indignation. Our polling in a handful of colonies there says they have dropped two percentage points among their own people. If the governor's pet being killed as everyone watches goes off as I think it will, we may draw another three points from their favorability."
I said, "What you need is an incident with the AIs."
Harden turned with a smile. "Now you're thinking, Mr. Beutcher. What would you suggest?"
I shrugged, "Something heinous."
Harden turned back toward the display, placing both hands on the table in front of him as he leaned on them in thought. "Mr. Blodgett. I have a new suggestion, courtesy of Mr. Beutcher. A transport loaded with orphans is about to be sabotaged by an AI ship. The transport will be found adrift after its guidance system failed to carry it into a star. The oxygen and heat was shut off prior to the ship's waypoints being changed. Speculation will say the AIs have decided that orphans are nothing more than a hindrance to society and that they should be purged. Cite numerous sources as saying rumors of such a campaign have been circulating for weeks."
Bonair nodded. "I'm thinking orphans and their pet companions. It would be a nice continuance story to the governor's loss."
Harden turned back to face me. "Very good, Mr. Beutcher. More than 65 percent of households in the six galaxies have pets. If the AIs are seen as anti-pet, we may destroy their whole insidious campaign in a matter of weeks. Perhaps you do have a little politician in you."
Harden leaned back against the table's edge. "You know, when I gave you the fourth and fifth stars, back when you were a detective, I did so because you were an outstanding detective. You cared about your job and you did it to the best of your ability. You were responsible for resolving two major incidents. And you kept my niece alive while doing it. I don't remember that I ever really personally thanked you for that."
I replied, "You did. Just before you exiled me to Omega."
Harden laughed before becoming serious. "Still. Had you not gone to Omega we would not be here today. Who knows? The AIs might have fully overrun this place. I'm still in disbelief that they pulled back what forces they had here. I have doubts that we could have ever kicked them out on our own. I sometimes feel like they are playing some sort of game."
I said, "I've had discussions with one of them that we had captured. At first I was suspicious. After a while, it seemed genuinely interested in helping us. But it didn't take long for its real intentions to begin to show. Had we not taken a few early precautions, we wouldn't be here today. Joni's husband, Garrett, kept us from walking into their trap."
Harden held up a hand. "Wait... her husband?"
I was silent in thought for a moment. "She never told you?"
Harden shook his head slowly. "Not a word. And if she told Joseph, he didn't reveal it to me either. Hmm. I'll have to congratulate her the next time I see her."
I asked, "Why not make a comm now?"
Harden frowned, "She won't answer them. She hasn't talked to me since this deal was struck. I'll have to quiz Joseph about this, but don't worry, it won't be a distraction."
I gave a snarky reply, "When has it ever been?"
Harden sighed. "Just when I thought I was making headway, we're sucked back into the vortex."
I replied, "A vortex that you created."
Harden nodded as he turned back to face his data. "I suppose. Now, I really have to get back to our campaign, Mr. Beutcher. We have much to do in an extremely short time."
The following day I sat watching the news feeds as the story broke about the governor and the demise of his beloved penguin. Hours later, a second report came in about the orphan transport. The news feed flashed up the image of the dead orphans, all snuggling their pets with anguished looks on their young innocent faces. Harden Salton’s crews were very good at what they did. A check of opinion polls the following morning had the vote in the Wolfe galaxy swinging our way by six percentage points. It was an exact reversal from only three days earlier. I had no doubt that Harden Salton had more stunning and frightful stories to come.
Joni approached. I filled her in on the news that her uncle now knew of her marriage. She seemed disinterested in his reactions.
Garrett joined us. "What are we talking about?"
I replied, "Your in-laws. Harden knows that you're married. Does Joseph know?"
Joni scowled. "I don't particularly care right now. They both made their choices, now they have to live with the repercussions."
Garrett put his arm around her shoulder. "I'll support you in whatever you decide when it comes to the two of them."
Joni raised an eyebrow. "That would be wise."
Garrett bowed out, walking over to chat with Go.
Jack yelled. "We have AI ships in orbit around Alpha Prime! Hundreds have come through a portal with more coming in!"
"Quan!" I yelled, "Can you sweep Harden Salton's op-center off that planet?"
Quan replied, "Can you give me a destination?"
Jack yelled again. "Move us to near Adicus. Sweep it out there and then again to the mines on Telfor. From there we can look for a more permanent home."
Quan replied, "Excellent suggestions, Mr. Carson. I shall undertake that immediately."
Garrett added to the conversation as he looked at the display in front of Go's console. "They just showed up at about a half dozen colonies in Wolfe. I don't think they appreciate the stories Harden's been putting out."
The colonel said, "Quan, as soon as you have Harden on Telfor, sweep me to Dallex and wait for my command. We’re sending all of our ships to Alpha Prime. They will be forced to either retreat or reinforce. Either way, they will be opening a portal to do so and we will be sweeping as many ships as we can to that location. This might be an opportunity to kill off one of those portal ships. We can cut them down to three."
A portal sweep of the Harden headquarters to Adicus was followed by a second sweep to Telfor. After a quick comm check to see that Harden and his team had made it through OK, we turned our focus to the Talisan fleet. Eight hundred ninety-six ships were repositioned to face the AI fleet of just over three hundred converted battlecruisers. We prepared for another jump.
The colonel opened a general hail to the AI ships. "You are in violation of AMP space. Surrender immediately or be destroyed!"
The comm was silent for fifteen seconds. A portal opened sweeping over the AI ships.
The colonel yelled. "Passing the location now!"
Quan initiated a sweep, sending five hundred of our Talisan ships to within close proximity of the AI portal ship. A multitude of heavy ion cannon blasts ripped through the scantily defended ship.
The colonel yelled, "We have another portal ship here! Admiral! It's jumping! Hit it with everything you've got!"
We watched on the colonel's feed as the
battle quickly evolved. The AI ships that had just come through began to engage. The space surrounding the newly destroyed portal ship erupted in heavy blue bolts and heavy green pulses.
The colonel again yelled, "Quan! Take us home!"
A portal opened in front of the Talisan ships, sweeping backwards. Seconds later the remains of a few green laser pulses disappeared into the blackness of space as the Talisan ships were moved to safety.
I asked, "Colonel? Did we get the second ship?"
The colonel nodded. "I believe so. There was evidence of generator explosions just as that portal closed. And it appeared to close short. I think we just scratched two of their four ships."
Go said, "The rest of their ships are moving back! If we scan the space around Balexia we may be able to catch another!"
Quan said, "Initiating sweep of Talisan ships to Balexia."
Go added, "Only two hundred AIs there!"
Seconds later, the colonel said, "We have a new portal opening! Quan, take us through!"
Garrett screamed, "Wait! It's a trap! Scan shows several thousand ships on the other side!"
A portal opened in front of the Talisan ships and then quickly collapsed.
Quan said, "Sweep aborted."
I held up my hand. "Bring 'em back Quan. Then take us all home."
Garrett pushed the data to a wall display. "Twenty-eight hundred ships sitting in wait. Was that all a setup?"
The colonel replied, "No way. They would not sacrifice two of their most valuable assets for a chance at taking out a few hundred Talisan ships. Not a fair trade. I think they screwed up and they know it."
Harden came over the comm. "Please transfer as much of the footage of both of those incidents to me as quickly as possible. I can have a dozen very damaging stories out about a thwarted invasion in less than an hour. This might be the bolt that seals the airlock shut. Let their campaign suffocate outside and die."
I gave the nod and Go prepared to send the video files.
I again held up my hand. "Hold up on those. I only want views from the Talisan ships and none that show our portal window. Harden can get extra mileage out his stories if the people think our ships were already there protecting those colonies."
OMEGA Rescue Page 18