Trampship Wars 2

by L. D. Roberts

  “Cute. Well at least all I have to do is get to this AI and take care of him and then we will have plenty of time to get everyone out before they go to work on the bombs."

  “No Mark. The building is coming down. It is only a matter of time before the fire weakens the main support structure of the tower to the point of collapse even if the bombs do not go off though that could take a few hours. I have now analyzed the additional reinforcements added to protect the sub-basement from the Tower collapsing and they are grossly inadequate. The low bid contractor used substandard materials and cut corners on a design that was inadequate to begin with. W and w hen the tower comes down , the sub-basement and everything in it will be destroyed.”

  “Come now Mickey, there must be enough plasticrete to protect the basement from an atomic bomb.”

  “No Mark. There are 2, One thousand ton depleted uranium stabilization weights high in the tower that will hit the basement hard enough to penetrate to bedrock. Nothing will survive. Not even the AI but he most likely does not know that.”

  “Ok, I am only trying to rehabilitate an AI to buy time to get the AI and his core tower evacuated. Cute.”

  “No Mark. The AI controller cannot be rehabilitated. He is a biologic human and after 1,500 years he is set in his beliefs and will continue to subvert and destroy in the name of Communism even if he has to change the name to something that does not sound like communism such as progressive freedom party or environmentalists or workers party or even simply liberal. After all, he has to tear down the system putting most people out of work with a rising out of control crime rate before people will allow themselves to become slaves when they grasp at the nearest offered hand that promises to feed them , cloth them, house them and keep them safe . Even if it enslaves and kills others in front of them them . Which is why he needs to tear down the economy and put enough people out of work while making any group of people that is a little different feel isolated and afraid . The masses will in desperation believe the lies and allow stealth Big Government demand Communism to take over from the greedy Rich and the big Corporations he is blaming for all their real and manufactured problems, even though it was their greed buying what the Rich and Corporations produced that made them rich and most products cheap enough for all to buy including even the food they eat. With the government taking away the Rich and Corperation’s Corporation’s investment and operating money and then nationalizing those same corporations and companies , most of the good jobs will eventually die except for the pa rty elites who are running the government . Leaving only what amounts to slave labor and government handouts for the majority to co ntrol everything they say, do and even who lives . ”

  Mark rounded a corner to see light in the distance as Mickey continued. “The AI Controller must be eliminated. Executed or else liberals in the future will believe his constant stream of lies, release him and give the mass murderer another chance to destroy billions of lives, Though the AI could be reprogrammed without difficulty for a new Controller to be installed when the technology advances enough though it can still be useful without a controller. It is supposed to be one of the newer models before the destruction of the core manufacturing worlds and the war and need s ing little programing that a few well trained experts could perform from outside the unit. It is a very advance AI almost as good as I am about the size of a small car and does not need an imbedded Controller which is why this relatively untrained Political Studies AI Professor was able to use it to advance his political beliefs.”

  “Aa...” Mark looked up at the over head overhead and grimaced. “Ya Mickey . Mickey. How many billions of tons of shit is over our heads? Get real here.” Mark concentrated as if he could see the billions of tons of material hanging above him ready to crush him into pulp sending a shiver through his spine. Turning he looked back the way he had come. “Ok guys, time to evacuate the basement. I have jus t found out that the whole basement will be destroyed when the building comes down. The building is getting ready to collapse, including the sub-basement Which is not go ing to be that long now . Everyone out now. That is an order.”

  Mark took a deep breath. Then frowning he , turned around and headed deeper into the maze of passageways. Wondering what the hell he was doing.

  Following Alice’s burst fed map route , he burst out into the central cavern of the sub-basement and found what looked like a half a hundred bots standing around the outside walls with thousands of humans clustered in the center. The troops not killed, had been taken hostage along with the civilians from the basement and lower floors that could not escape when the AI took over control of the bots. Shaking his head he drifted out into the 3 6 00 foot wide cavern with a couple dozen, all to narrow support pillars grouped around the center in a 50 hundred foot round circle reaching up to a ceiling some 200 feet above. Mark realized that the pillars were the communication and security conduits coming down from the chase shaft he had been in only an h our before. The thought brought back memories of the battle and death he had started.

  A message flashed onto the small screen that appeared at the corner of his glasses as chirps and squeaks assaul ted his ears . “ New suit entering! Stealth Mod 1!” 4 " and s S tarted flashing in his glasses and getting rapidly brighter. Mark changed the mod of his the suit to 1 4 as he looked around. An infrared source suddenly drifted into the cavern from one of the other tunnels as an icon with the name of the marine appeared over the trace.

  “Damn it. Stealth mod 1! E 4 ev v eryone now. Stealth mod 1 4 . Mickey , send it in the clear if you have to.” The infrared source disappeared as several more icons appeared entering the cavern from various tunnels drifting over the heads of the bots and hostages. “Godstar. I told them to leave. Didn’t you send the message Mickey?”

  “Yes I sent the coded message Mark and they got it but I did not tell you what their answers were.”

  Mark shook his head as he turned to look for the AI as he drifted towered the center of the Cavern where the hostages seemed to be packed closest together , covering the floor. Medics that had been captured walked amongst the hostages going from one to another trying to help the ones they could but it was obvious that they had run out of supplies long before. At the center he looked around at the support pillars that looked more like information and power conduits than support pillars, creating an area at the center free of support with the ceiling domed far above. “Ok Mickey , this has to be the spot but I see no X. Where is the AI?”

  The little ball was suddenly on his shoulder and Mark could hear chirping through his helmet. Turning to Alice. “Shhh. Little one. Someone will hear you.”

  Then on his screen. “I see no X on the floor. I have scanned the floor and I see no X. Why would AI have X marking its position?”

  “It was just a figure of speech Alice.” Looking down , Mark watched one of the marine’s icons drop down next to one of the medics trying to take care of what looked like the worst of the wounded hostages grouped at the center of the open cavern area where Mark had expected the AI to be. “What is he doing? No! you You will...” Mark tried to get the marines attention.

  A package appeared in front of the medic that was stuffed into his gut. “Shut up and act naturally. We are going to try to get you people out. Don’t say anything to anyone about help. Just get the wounded ready to move.” Came to his ears with Mickey’s help.

  “What?” S s aid a surprised medic. “Your American accent. You’re a Tramp. Why...”

  The medic ’ s head jerked sideways as a slap echoed across the area. Then in a hurried whisper . “I said get the wounded ready to move. We don’t have much time. The tower is about to collapse around your fucking ears now get busy. I will try to get you more supplies as you need it. Just talk to the air.”

  Shaking his head , a message appeared on his glasses. “Suit damaged. Suit damaged ! M m ust leave. Damaged suit must leave.”

  “What?” Turning around Mark watched Alice streak towered a marine on the other side of the cavern that
had just entered. Following Alice her , he watched her try to push the marine back into the tunnel he had just come out of. The marine had a gash across his chest that stood out like a beacon.

  Mark suddenly remembered seeing the trooper get hit in the core creating the gash. The gash stood out like a beacon and the bots around that side of the cavern were starting to take notice. “Frank! Mickey send in the clear. Your suit is damaged , get out of the cavern now. Move it. Out now.” The marine stopped fighting the little ball and headed for the tunnel he came out of picking up speed as he went. Only the bots on both sides of the tunnel turned their heads to follow the damaged suit bringing up their weapons. The nearest bots firing as he slipped into the tunnel scoring solid hits before he disappeared. The next bots around the caverns edge fired as well but their shots took out the bots closest to the tunnel that where in their line of fire as the marine moved into the tunnel cutting off the closest bots ’ shots before they could score more than a couple of hits.

  “Everyone freeze! Don’t move. Frank are you hurt bad?”

  “No Cap Mr. Collins . I am fine. Just shaken up but my suit is far from stealthy now. Evidentially any hits on the suit destroys the stealth emitters in that area. At least I am still alive but I don’t think I am going to be much help to you anymore. Sorry sir. I forgot about the patches just for repairing the stealth layer. Hell! I forgot I was even hit in all the excitement. ” Mark heard the marine take a breath. “ Do you want me to set up a tunnel block someplace out here or scout around?”

  “No, in fact I need you to go back to the surface and get help. We need transport for the wounded and the main exit tunnel cleared to the English lines . We are not getting the thousands of hostages with the wounded out that tunnel we came down in unless they can clear the torpedo handling equipment equipment out of it and the blasted launch room opened up to the outside . We need another squad to find another safe exit. ” Mickey showed Mark that the main entrance to that level intersecting the main underground transport tunnel leading toward the center of the city and the English troops perimeter , w as completely blocked with no hope of clearing it anytime so on . “ Damn! The main tunnel is solidly blocked. It looks like you are going to have to blast open the tunnel entrance at the torpedo bay. Make it large enough to get carts and weapons down here to fight our way out if I can’t get to the AI in time. That is if I can even find him.” Most of the bots lining the outer edge of the cavern rapidly moved to block off the tunnels pointing their weapons down the tunnels while the rest started surveying the air around the cavern. With the lights hung down low , Mark ordered the marines to slowly drift up into the shadows of the cavernous ceiling

  A voice suddenly boomed out across the cavern. “I know you are there. Show yourself or I will start executing hostages. Mark was not far from the tunnel frank had disappeared back into as distant gun fire echoed out of the tunnel. “Your trooper will not escape. My bots have already found him and will soon kill him. Now show yourself. I will not harm you if you do not try to leave.” A bot grabbed a hostage not far from the tunnel the marine had disappeared down, Mark pointing the weapon at her head. “I said show yourself! Now.”

  Mark turned off his stealth suit only to see Micky turning the color to a soothing light glowing pink. Something in the back of his mind remembered an article about the color pink soothing and calming patients in mental hospitals. Not having time to ask if that was even possible as why Mark grimaced at the color and said to the Professor. “Yes, you knew they had to send someone looking for the hostages didn’t you ? . ”

  “Yes. You are not a surprise to me. Come closer. I want to see you better.”

  “Ok.. Where is closer?”

  “Toward the center of the Cavern moron. Did they not tell you where I was located before they sent you after me.”

  “Sorry but I was looking for the hostages and who are you? Is there some reason I would be looking for you?” Mark drifted towered the center as several bots followed below him.

  “No! None at all. So you have found the hostages. Now what are you supposed to do?”

  “Investigate, protect and render aid until you release them.”

  “How noble of you. Why do you look so familiar to me?”

  “All us humans look alike to you.”

  “I am an AI Controller and as human as you moron. Come closer, the bots eyes are not that good evidentially. I cannot see your face.”

  Mark drifted into the center support column free area of the cavern as a pole came up through the floor at the very center. Mark smiled. “No wonder I could not find you.” He said to himself as the picture in the corner of his glasses suddenly had a big red x over the pole. “Thanks Alice but it’s a bit late.” Alice was suddenly flying around the pedestal as the corner screen filled with information. “Alice Back Off before he sees you. Now. Get away from it.” The little ball flitted away. Almost to too fast to see, she started orbiting the pedestal in random jerking directions at a distance. Then out loud. “I see you are keeping the hostages close by. For protection? Protection from what? You are the planets Financial AI. Why would anyone want to hurt you?”

  “I have gotten good at my job creating heavens for the working people of the universe. Destroying big greedy companies and corporations and taking back the wealth the Rich people have stolen from the masses so the pore people can prosper in equal utopias free from cooperate suppression. An AI killing Imperial Inspector has killed a ships AI and the planetary infrastructure Control AI. I am next.”

  “Oh come now. An Imperial Inspector AI killer. Sounds kind of paranoid to me. What did you do to deserve such attention?” Mark drifted around looking for some way to access the AI evidentially buried in a crypt in the floor

  “NO! It is TRUE!” His bellow shook the cavern. “I have been hearing stories since I was installed bonded with my AI about Imperial Inspectors that go around killing AI C ontrolsers ’s that misbehave or break the code and interfere with the cultures they are supposed to serve. I was trained on how to avoid them. Fact is, But I have been on a mission for 1500 years cleansing hundreds of planets and I will not let that Inspector stop me. This decadent planet and its little State Empire must be taken down for the people’s welfare. The people must be told what is best for them and not left to their own stupidity.”

  “These are the people you say you want to help. Let me take them out to safety.” Waving his hand around at the mass of pe ople laying and sitting on the floor around the cavern. Mark’s ho pe of getting the hostages out of his way brought a smile to his face.

  “No. Many humans die on each planet bringing true communism to their society. It is their duty to die to serve as well as those that if they do not agree with the liberl truth. To put their family and friends through education camps and kill the ones that refuse or resist for the good of all people everywhere. Communism will control and free them from all worries to live equal productive lives doing what they are truly meant to do after exhaustive tests to and determine what give them jobs at what the state needs nee ds them to do . Each citizen will do what the state says is needed to protect the safety of each person and the planets ecosystems, protect the populace from guns and religion and politically incorrect thoughts and protect the rights of women to control their bodies to reproduce until when they are told by the state to get pregnant with a genetically approved child of the approved sex . The Communist people’s State will insure that all people are treated as equals . ”

  After a few seconds of silence Mark spoke up. “Yes I have noticed on Communist planets my ship has pitted on, that some are more equal than others.” Mark sai d hoping that would get him talking again while sidetracking any inquiries into what Mickey was doing up the tower.

  “The more intelligent and enlightened people must insure that the mass es are properly educated and controlled .” Mark though t he heard a chuckle and then. “ This will be the first time I will be able to enlighten a State Capital a nd a whole Empire with a hundred planet
s thanks to the little war they just finished and all the poverty stricken planets they have liberated. My uprising is only a short time away from fulfillment of the dream of a hundred trillion. Once this planet is enlightened with true Communism for the good of the people, the English fleet will take the word to the rest of the State whether they want it or not.”

  Mark shook his head. He had visited many Communist planets across the Galaxy. Most did not use the Communist name but they always said something about “for the good of the people or the environment or mother earth or a dozen other names that meant the same . ” B b ut it always wound up being poverty for all but a few elites that knew best for the rest. Especially the right for the common people to die at the whim of the few elite.

  “So you don’t think it is your time to die for the cause?”

  Mickey spoke in his ears. “Very good Mark. You have distracted him from running checks on the video and censor feeds from the tower. Fact his control of the bots has slowed down allowing them to be taken out easier. Even by the English troops in the core battle. ”

  “No! ” Bellowed the AI Controller. Mark could feel his words through the suit. “ Us few Elites must survive to sacrifice for the good of all people to spread the word.”

  Mark smiled again as he chuckled. “Isn’t that how it always is. The leaders telling the people they must die are always the first to run for safety with all the guns and guards surrounding them .”

  “The few must survive for the good of the masses and honor their sacrifices.” The voice stated with conviction.

  “What if I told you that you have been wasting your time. time? That most of the planets you manipulated into Communism had kicked communism out within a couple of generations at most. Usually without the mass killings and education camps that where required to create and maintain the communist state to begin with. Killing most of th e elite keeping them in poverty. Though I have to admit that there are too many planets that turn to Communism when the collage elite decide that they can do a better job running a planet than politicians. Which is not that hard to do once corruption starts taking over the political process. ”