The colonel was swept back into the room we occupied. "Excellent work everyone. I don't think I've ever worked with a more responsive team. We knock out two more portal ships and the AI might as well call it quits."
Harden came over the comm. "I just looked over a few of the video files. Fantastic!"
The colonel said, "We lost two ships out there, and the men aboard them."
Harden replied, "Sad to hear it, but I can't use that. This is a chance to give the people a feeling of security if they stick with the AMP. Those sacrifices will have to only be remembered by us for the time being. I'll change around a few of the feeds to make it look like the AIs fired upon us first; we followed and destroyed the threat. Fantastic work people!"
The comm closed. I let out a deep sigh.
Chapter 19
* * *
The Wolfe vote came and went with the people deciding to stay with the AMP. In further proof that Harden's propaganda blitz was working, movements in both the Sextans and the Sawblade were pushing to rescind the prior vote or to hold a new one. News reports from Andromeda told of a growing discontent with the new regime. The successes only made Harden work his team harder.
I asked Frig, "How goes the cracking of the Earth gate?"
Frig replied, "As well as can be expected. We are committed to bringing in that two-year time-line, having cut another month from our original estimate. Quan is running his processors at 90 percent. Unfortunately, disruptions like the attack on Alpha divert his efforts and slow the process down. We are working on a promising solution."
"What would that be?" I asked.
Frig replied, "I am attempting to design a dedicated AI to assist in the code manipulation. It will run in parallel with Quan's processes and if successful, we should see up to a five percent increase in the number of codes being attempted."
I said, "Sounds promising."
Frig smiled. "Oh, it's more than promising, Mr. Beutcher. If a single assistant yields a good return, we can gang hundreds of them in parallel. Best case would be a 60 percent reduction in our time estimate."
I nodded. "That would be incredible. I know I may not have said this, but thank you for all you are doing here. I'm sure this wasn't what you ever expected to awaken to."
Frig turned from his display to face me. "This is precisely why I went into stasis to begin with. When my wife had passed, and Don Grange and Ashley had passed, I found myself depressed. My scientific experiments weren't enough to keep me happy. I felt I had no purpose. With no wars going on, the colonel was having similar feelings. Why were we here? Was this it? Would the last days of our lives be spent in depression or despair?
"That's when we hatched the stasis plan. We would go under while aboard a sentinel ship and wait to be awakened when there was a critical need. I would say the current situation fits that precisely. It gives both of us purpose again and that, Mr. Beutcher, is what life is about."
I placed my hand on Frig's shoulder. "Well, the both of you have been invaluable so far. And if you can get that gate to Earth open, you might just be the hero of this whole effort."
Frig replied, "Heroism is not on my list of things to accomplish, Mr. Beutcher. I only wish to contribute all that I can."
I laughed, "I think that's part of what defines a hero, Frig. Giving all you have with no expectations in return. Anyway, I'll let you get back to work."
The colonel came over the comm. "Mr. Beutcher, I'd like to talk to you about your Talisan forces. They are good fighters and good soldiers, but after talking with them, I see they could use some training in ship assaults. While we have the time, I'd like to take on that task."
I said, "Colonel, I'll give General Gurus the command to follow your every order. If you want to teach them, they will learn."
I made another trip to Malybay to see Getta. She seemed apprehensive and slightly annoyed.
I asked, "What's the matter?"
Getta replied, "There have been incidents with the AIs in this galaxy. Is that your doing?"
I hesitated before responding. "Well, yes. I know you don't believe this, but we are at war with the AIs."
Getta scowled. "Precisely, you are at war with the AIs even though they are not at war with you. Some of our staff have analyzed the news-feeds of the attack on Alpha Prime. There are gaps and some parts have been simulated. The rumors being passed about are that the attack never occurred. This is all propaganda, made up to sway the public opinion against the AIs."
I shook my head. "The AIs are dangerous. And they intend to take over. Your alliance with them is making them stronger. Were you aware of the AI factory on Mayanis?"
Getta looked back at me. "What? There's no activity on Mayanis."
Using my arm pad holo-display, I pulled up an image of the giant factory on the planet's surface. "There. That factory is turning out thousands if not millions of AIs. We believe there are other factories hard at work turning out bots. And those AI ships at Alpha Prime, they were real. You and the rest of the Council need to open your eyes. By allowing these AIs to run loose you are jeopardizing the future of the very people you are purporting to protect."
Getta began to show anger. "The AI have done nothing but what's in the interest of our people. Already we have hospitals, schools; our government facilities and our housing are all top notch. Our fields have been plowed and planted, mines have opened. As far as I can see, the AIs have lived up to their word."
I said, "I have this one test for you. Ask them to turn over one of the portal ships to the Council. They currently have two. Ask for one of them."
Getta replied, "I don't see what that will prove. We aren't in need of one of those ships at the moment."
I frowned. "They really have you under their spell, don't they? If you won't ask for control of a ship, at least check the factory on Mayanis. I bet that was something that was never agreed to."
Getta stood staring at me for several seconds. "You really can't see all the good they are doing, can you? Our people are home, they're happy; our children play in the green fields while our scholars search through the troves of historical information that was left behind by our ancestors. It's a new beginning for our people. We have an identity, a history, a home. And you and your friends seem intent on working against all of that. It's as if you want to destroy the very things that define who we are."
I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "You have a thick head, Getta Beutcher. You and the rest of the Council. The AIs are setting you up. They're using you to permeate the Yallux galaxy. One day you will open your eyes and an AI will be staring you in the face, asking you to turn over your maul and your blaster. On that day you will realize you willingly gave your freedom away."
Getta's face grew red. "I don't like being in disagreement with my husband, but you are forcing my hand. Know that in this instance, I stand with the Council... as do our children."
Getta turned to walk back to the cockpit of the transport that had brought her to Malybay.
She took a step and stopped. "I will check on this factory you speak of. Consider what your stance means to your family. Your children would like their father in their lives. A grandfather should be there to play with and guide his grandchildren. Unless you resolve your differences with the Council, you will be shut out."
As Getta turned back toward the cockpit, I spoke into my comm. "Quan, bring me back."
Seconds later I was standing in the conference room that had become our operations center.
As I looked around the room at my new family, Jack yelled, "We have a portal opening to starboard!"
Quan said, "Initiating jump."
Garrett yelled, "We have green lasers!"
Quan replied, "Portal is open and sweeping over us."
Quan continued, "Reinitiating."
The AI assault blasted layer after layer of tantric armor away from our hull. With each sweep, their portal fell further behind. Four jumps later, our ship was swept to a new location before the AI's arrival at the
last. Our next jump was back to Effica.
Jack said, "I think you may have just had your last visit to Malybay. They followed us from there. I hate to think Getta was in on that."
I shook my head. "No, she would not do such a thing. That is the work of others in the Council."
As I settled back into my chair, a comm came in from Getta. "I had a team scan the surface of Mayanis for a factory. None exist. There's nothing there but ruins from the Grotus. I don't know where you got your information, but someone is lying to you. The Council has ordered me to stop conversing with you until all of this is resolved. Be careful with your decisions, Knog. They affect others, not only you."
The comm channel closed before I could respond.
I turned to face Go. "The factory on Mayanis, do our stealth tags show it as still being there?"
Go pulled up a screen. "No. It's been moved to Doomlight. The whole thing."
I tried repeatedly to open a comm to Getta. She would not accept.
I turned to Joni. "I need you to place a tag on the outside of that factory. We need to know if ships are coming or going. If they're building AIs and bots there, where are they taking them?"
Go said, "Of the AIs we tagged in there, four are still on Doomlight and three are on the Kergan worlds. Of the four on Doomlight, one is involved with mining and three are... constructing some sort of factory."
Jack added, "Making more to build more."
Go continued, "Of the three on the Kergan worlds, one is building a bridge, one a power plant and one is mining. Each of those is controlling two thousand bots."
I said, "Keep an eye on that factory on Doomlight. I want to know what it's going to be building."
Joni was swept out to Doomlight, where a handful of QE stealth tags were placed on the factory's exterior and activated.
Go said, "On Doomlight. That's not a factory being built. It's a container. They just closed up the top of it and opened a side door. And they are moving AIs into it. It's a giant shipping container."
I opened a comm to the colonel. "Be prepared for a sweep and a fight. We might be able to catch another portal ship in action. The AIs have constructed a large shipping container that they are filling with new AIs. I think they are planning to sweep that container to a new location. It makes sense to just build a box for shipping rather than a whole ship. Open the portal and place the box wherever you want it."
The colonel replied, "Were in the middle of a drill. I'll need two minutes."
I nodded. "They are just filling the container now. Don't take any longer though; this may be a chance to get another one of those portal ships. We can't pass this opportunity up."
The colonel turned and barked orders. "Get ready for a sweep in sixty seconds! We're going after another portal jumper!"
The Talisans in the camera view scrambled to comply.
Go remarked, "The container looks to be half full. We can expect a sweep, possibly in the next few minutes."
Quan said, "Moving the ship into position."
Joni yelled, "Hold on! Before you attack. Instead of the Talisans, sweep me to its location. Let me tag it. If we're lucky it will lead us to the other one. We shut them both down and this whole thing turns around. We'll control the heavens."
I nodded. "Excellent idea."
Joni replied, "I have tags. Just send me in at the first sign of a portal opening."
When the container reached capacity the side door was closed. As expected, seconds later, a portal opened in front of the container, sweeping it through to a new location. Joni disappeared from our op center. As she blinked out a portal swept over her location.
Quan said, "She is approximately five hundred meters from the target. The portal ship is initiating a sweep."
Joni said, "I'm aboard. Setting the tag. Powering out. Nav display says I'm on one of the Moddle worlds. Whoa... hang on. I have a massive ship factory under construction out here. And there's a line of several hundred battlecruisers that look like they are freshly assembled. I'll bet the Council doesn't know about this."
The colonel said. "Mr. Beutcher, I think the time to strike is now. We let that portal ship run, but we take out that factory before they build any more ships. And Quan, scan our feeds for a new portal opening when we attack. They will fly that ship out, but they might try to bring in their other battlecruisers. If so, they will be using that other portal ship. This could be our moment in the sun."
Joni said, "I'm powering over to that row of ships to tag as many as I can before this starts. It might serve us to know where they are later."
As we watched on Joni's camera feed a host of automated shuttles emerged from the growing factory. The newly arrived container was opened and the AIs within moved to the new factory by the small fleet of ships.
The colonel made a statement. "Quan, we are ready here. Sweep us in."
Joni pulled back. "These ships are stationary, but active. Expect a fight when you get here."
The colonel replied, "I was counting on it."
A portal window opened in front of the six hundred Talisan warships that had been collected for the mission. As a counter reached zero, the portal closed, leaving the Talisan fighters only a few hundred kilometers from the enormous factory.
The colonel gave the order to attack. "Light 'em up! I want all comm inhibitors online. Any ship that's still moving after that is a first target. T1020 and T1447, you are assigned to that factory. Shred it. The rest of us, go-ship-to ship if you can."
Blue bolts filled the heavens around the Moddle world called Kianic. The newly built AI battlecruisers powered away from their positions, only to have nearly half of them drop offline.
Go said, "One hundred twelve battlecruisers remain active. The inhibitor signal must be working on the rest."
Fifteen seconds into the fight the tagged portal ship jumped to a new location. Shortly after, a new portal opened, sending four hundred AI battlecruisers through. A third immediately went inactive.
The colonel yelled out a command. "Close on those active ships and prepare your boarding parties! We're taking these out from the inside!"
The two ships assigned to the factory destruction began their relentless bombardment of the massive structure. Automated shuttles attempted to distract the assault by flying directly toward the two Talisan Warships. Their efforts were thwarted as the medium ion cannons that lined each side of the Talisan warships made short work of the automated nuisances.
After a fierce initial burst of ion bolts and lasers pulses, the Talisan deployed a new tactic. Negative ion fields were generated from a new type of generator. The generator output, called a Yacabucci web, brought the free ion flow aboard the attacking AI ships to a stop, shutting down the ship's systems. It was a device resurrected by Frig, coming from before the War of Wars two millennia ago. It had been added to the Talisan ships as part of the colonel's ship assault training strategy.
As the AI ships came to a stop, the Talisan ships pulled close. Boarding parties stormed across breach tubes and flooded the AI battlecruisers. The AIs that staffed the ships were easily destroyed and the ship's manual controls used to take over.
A second portal opened, sending through another thousand battlecruisers. The newly captured ships were turned against their former AI brothers as the Yacabucci web generators were shut down.
Quan said, "The second tactical team has gone through to the portal ship's location. It is the second, yet-to-be-tagged vessel. Our ships are engaging... the portal ship has been damaged! Surrounding vessels are closing on our ships."
The colonel yelled, "Sweep them out to the second target!"
Quan replied, "Initiating. Sweep complete. A portal is opening. The portal ship successfully jumped. Initiating a second sweep. Talisan ships are engaging. We have the destruction of the second portal ship."
Go let out a yell of his own as he stood, pumping a fist in the air. Our conference room converted to an op-center was charged with emotion as Garrett and Jack joined
in the celebration.
Quan said. "Talisan second team is disengaging. Sweep to neutral point is complete. Aligning secondary sweep to the ship factory. Initiating. Sweep is complete."
Four hundred additional Talisan warships joined the fight above the Moddle world. The Yacabucci device was employed repeatedly as a myriad of smaller battles ensued. It was soon evident the AI strategies and technology were inferior. Forty minutes after the first Talisan ship had been swept into the Moddle system, the last AI battlecruiser went silent. Over the following twenty minutes, the massive AI ship factory was destroyed, the debris falling toward the planet as if a thousand meteors had been dropped from space.
When the last of our ships was swept back to our space, two hundred forty-two additional AI battlecruisers were in our possession. The newly updated ship factories at Dallex were immediately put to use for repairs and conversions. As a portal opened in our makeshift op-center, Joni and the colonel returned.
The colonel grinned, "That should mark the beginning of the end for these AIs. Without their interference, we should be able to secure the six galaxies followed by cleaning out Yallux."
The colonel looked around the room. "I'm always amazed at what a small, determined team can do if given the right tools. You should all be proud of your accomplishments today."
In the weeks that followed, The Sawblade, Wolfe, and Sextans galaxies all fell in line with the AMP. A flood of Andromedans had changed allegiances, once again wanting to be a part of the winning side. Given the circumstances, a new vote had been scheduled. Polls placed the current public sentiment as having a desire to rejoin the AMP.
Harden Salton continued to work his propaganda magic from behind the scenes. As much distrust as I had for him, he reveled in the responsibility he'd been given and applied every bit of his knowledge and ability toward achieving our goals. Had I not known his past transgressions, I would have eagerly thanked him for his efforts.
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