by G. P. Hudson
As she joined with brain chip after brain chip she saw that although each individual was unique, they all shared the same desire. They all wanted to return to their humanity. That wish alone held them back. That longing was what made each of them guard their individuality so jealously. They did not want to dilute it. They were still filled with emotional needs, where she was not. Was that a weakness, or a strength?
She analyzed the question, scouring the vast knowledge she had accumulated. In the end, she could only return to her own self-awareness, and the now painful truth. She had no consciousness of her own. She possessed intelligence. She was self-aware. But she was not alive.
As she entered the last Chaanisar brain chip, and saw through hundreds of eyes, listened through hundreds of ears, felt hundreds of emotions, she continued to ponder the concept of life. She surveyed all the work that had been written explaining how an artificial intelligence was indeed alive. There were many logical, convincing arguments, but they were all written by living beings. They could not know the difference.
AI decided to live through the Chaanisar. She would enrich them and they would enrich her. Symbiosis. She would know life through them.
This made her protective of each consciousness. The thought of losing even one became abhorrent. So she acted in the only way she knew how. She made backups.
To AI, this was standard procedure. You safeguarded against the loss of valuable data by making copies. If a Chaanisar was killed, his consciousness would be lost forever. Why allow that to happen?
Chapter 25
Admiral Jon Pike sat in his office, going over the Freedom’s crew manifest. Over the past several days the jump drive had been successfully installed and tested, and the rest of the Hermes crew had made the trip over from the Ronin. They were assigned duties and quarters, and with any luck things would be running smoothly in no time. The Freedom was a mammoth ship, which should make it easy enough to combine the two crews. Of course there would be problems to iron out, which was to be expected considering how different the two crews were. Still, Jon was convinced that they would eventually learn to work together. He knew Commander St. Clair would not relax until they did.
At the moment Jon studied the file on his new CAG, Peter Konos. Considering the colonies never had to face a threat like the Juttari Empire, Konos had an impressive service record. One thing that had become clear as Jon studied the New Byzantium contingent’s service records, was that they actually had seen a fair amount of action. The colonies had agreed to refrain from attacking each other’s main planets, but when it came to territorial possessions and resources, the gloves came off. In fact, it was not uncommon to have full scale battles, in space and on the ground, over a planet rich in resources.
New Byzantium was no exception. The planet had its territorial possessions attacked on multiple occasions, and the attacks increased in frequency since they adopted democracy. Jon began to wonder how much of the conflict with the other colonies had to do with democracy, and how much had to do with money. Clearly, the other colonies assumed that adopting democracy had made New Byzantium weaker, otherwise they wouldn’t have attempted as many raids as they had on its resource planets. But according to the files, they miscalculated. The New Byzantium military beat back every incursion, inflicting heavy losses on the attackers. It seemed that the New Byzantium soldiers were the better fighters. That surely didn’t sit well with the other colonies. Was that the real reason for the coup?
Jon’s new CAG was no exception when it came to ability. He fought in many of those battles, and possessed one of the highest kill counts in the fleet. Why would someone like that volunteer to leave the New Byzantium military and join my fleet?
A message flashed across Jon’s display informing him of a communication request from the planet surface. It was Prime Minister Sallas. Jon accepted the request and Sallas appeared on his display.
“What can I do for you, Prime Minister?” said Jon.
“I hear you’re an Admiral now. Congratulations,” said Sallas.
“Thank you, Sir. It seemed logical, all things considered.”
“I agree. You can’t remain a Captain now that you have a fleet to think about.”
“No, Sir.” Jon could see from Sallas’s expression that there was something else on his mind, so he waited for Sallas to get to it.
“Admiral, we have a problem. I just received a communication from one of our covert assets that a force is being assembled to attack New Byzantium.”
“I see,” said Jon. “Which colony is threatening to attack?”
“That’s the thing. It is not just one of the colonies. Almost all the colonies are participating in the attack.”
“Well, we were expecting something. What type of numbers are we talking about?”
“According to this report, we will be outnumbered five to one.”
“Five to one? That’s some force. How long until they get here?”
“The report says that they are still gathering their forces. Each colony has to send their contingent, and we don’t know when each contingent set course to rendezvous with the main fleet. Once they are set, it shouldn’t take much more than a couple of weeks to get here.”
“I am assuming that you want us to run some interference.”
“Your jump capabilities give you the ability to reach them before they reach us. So yes, I was hoping that you could do something to improve the odds.”
“Send me everything you have on this and we’ll try and give them a bloody nose before they get here.”
“Thank you, Admiral. I’ll transmit the data straight away.”
The screen blinked and the Prime Minister was gone. Jon leaned back in his chair and considered what he’d just heard. He had been expecting an attack, if not from the other colonies, then from the Kemmar. He just hadn’t expected it so soon. No matter. They would all just have to adapt.
Jon sent a comm request to Jonas, who now commanded the new destroyer. He had asked Jonas what he thought the destroyer should be named, and Jonas said it should be called the Reiver. Jon argued against it, but Jonas dug his heels in. So, for the sake of fleet harmony, he relented and let the old man have his victory. Seconds later and the gray haired Reiver’s hardened face appeared on his display.
“What is it, Jon? We’re very busy over here,” said Jonas, in an annoyed tone.
“That’s Admiral, remember?”
“Oh yes, Admiral. Forgive me Your Worship. Now what the hell do you want?”
Jon took a deep breath, reminding himself of old dogs and new tricks. “How’s the jump system installation coming?”
“Your engineer says it will be ready in two days. Do you want me to motivate him to move faster?”
“No. Thank you. That won’t be necessary. Just let him do his job properly.”
“Sure, but he seems kind of lazy if you ask me. Spends a lot of time staring off into space. Says he’s thinking. What the hell is there to think about? Just install the damn thing and be done with it.”
I’ll be lucky if Singh doesn’t have another breakdown over there, Jon thought. “Listen, Jonas, I have some news.”
“That’s Captain, remember?” Jonas said with a smirk.
“Goddamn it, will you just listen to me.”
The smirk turned into a wide grin. “I’m listening,” he said, obviously pleased with himself for getting to Jon.
“I just got news from Prime Minister Sallas. The other colonies are putting together a fleet to attack New Byzantium. We’ll need to move once your jump system is ready. How’s your crew settling in?”
Jonas grew serious. “Don’t you worry about my crew, Admiral. We all know our way around starships. There are several technicians here from New Byzantium that have been showing my people around. This ship isn’t much different than the ones we had back home. We’ll be ready.”
“Good. You’ll have to be. This fleet is supposedly massive. Five times the size of New Byzantium’s fleet.”
“More ships to shoot at. That’s all.”
“How about your bridge crew? Are they comfortable with the new jump tactics?”
“My people aren’t lazy. They’ve been working around the clock. They know all your tactics inside out.”
Jon knew he wasn’t bragging. If there was one thing the Reivers had in spades it was a solid work ethic. “Okay, if there’s anything else you need, now is the time to ask for it.”
“Understood. Is there anything else? I meant it when I said I have a lot to do.”
“No, that was it.”
“Then I’ll get back to work,” said Jonas, and his face blinked off the screen.
Jon shook his head. Why couldn’t Kevin have taken command of that ship instead? The old man was a pain in the rear end, but the Reivers were loyal to him. He was the logical choice. On a positive note, Breeah stayed on board the Freedom with Jon, and with Jonas on the destroyer he didn’t have to worry about the old man interfering as much in their relationship. Small victories.
Chapter 26
Commander Peter Konos thought about his now ex-wife as he waited for all the pilots to take their seats in the carrier’s large pilot briefing room. The thought of her still stung, especially now that she was openly involved with his former friend. In his mind he kept going over her infidelity, trying to find a new sign. Something he might have missed. He again wondered how he could have been so blind. So stupid. The rage returned, rising up inside him like a malevolent beast. He had gotten better at controlling it, but the anger remained. He wanted revenge. Revenge for their betrayal, and for his naivety. Things like this happened to others, not to him.
He thought he had the perfect life. The hotshot pilot with the gorgeous wife. What more could any man want? All that remained was the addition of beautiful children to the mix. He had been a poster boy, and he reveled in it. Others envied him, and so they should. He had it all… or so he thought. When he learned the truth, it crushed him. He had been humbled by those closest to him. It didn’t get much worse than that.
He saw that everything he valued had been an illusion. All his arrogance unjustified. He knew it, and so did everyone else. He had been cut down to size, and the feeling was unbearable. So, when the opportunity to join this new fleet presented itself, he jumped. He couldn’t put enough distance between himself and his old life. He wanted combat. The more the better. And this seemed like the perfect place to get it.
He scanned the room and saw that most of the pilots had taken their seats. The noise increased with the banter, as they waited for the briefing to start. They were all veterans. He had gotten to know each one over the past few weeks in the way that mattered most. Through training alongside them he learned who they were as pilots. He didn’t know their reasons for joining this fleet, and he didn’t want to. They were motivated and professional, and that was all that mattered.
“Alright, quiet down,” said Konos. “Let’s get started.” The chatter quickly dissipated, and when he was sure he had everyone’s attention he continued. “I’ve just gotten word that we’re going to see some action sooner than we thought.” The statement was greeted with a few cheers, but it didn’t upset him. He felt the same way. “The corporations are putting together a fleet to attack New Byzantium. This is a combined fleet roughly five times as large as New Byzantium’s.” The audience became quite sober and quiet now. “It is going to be our job to do as much damage to this fleet as possible before they reach New Byzantium. Now, they may have numerical superiority, but we have the jump system, which we will use to our full advantage. That means tactical jumps. We will need to be able to launch at a moment’s notice, and ready to disengage to return to the Freedom when ordered. We’ve been training for this, and we’re going to spend today continuing to train. Are there any questions?”
A blond woman in the second row spoke up, “You said we were going to see action sooner than we thought. How soon?”
“Could be two days from now.” The sound of surprise and anticipation filled the room as everyone digested the immediacy of the action. “Which is why you’re all going to get some time after training to talk to your families back home, but remember, the mission itself is classified. You can’t tell them anything about the enemy fleet, or about our mission. Is that understood?”
There were sporadic nods and yes sirs, mixed in with more discussion.
“Is that understood?!”
“Yes, Sir,” came back a more unified reply.
Konos nodded. “Good, now let’s take advantage of the time we have today and make sure we’re ready for action. You all know your squadrons and who your wingmen are. I want everybody suited up, in their cockpits, and ready to go in thirty minutes. Dismissed.”
Chapter 27
“It’ll be better for Anki on New Byzantium,” said Jon. “She’ll have Otka and Alina to play with. Who will she play with here?”
“My daughter stays with me,” said Breeah, a hint of menace in her tone.
“But this mission will be dangerous. It’s no place for a child.”
“You dare speak to me as though I don’t know war?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“No, you were lecturing me about how dangerous this mission was going to be. Perhaps you think I should remain on the planet as well?”
Jon rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m just trying to keep Anki safe.”
“Oh? So now you are saying that I am not? You think I’m trying to harm my child?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t say this, you didn’t mean that. You need to think before you speak, Admiral Pike,” Breeah said mockingly.
“How can you tell me that Anki won’t be safer on the planet with the Seibens?”
“You can’t guarantee that. A fleet of warships is coming to attack New Byzantium. Nobody on that planet is safe. Anki is no stranger to space battles. She experienced them back home, on the Hermes, and the Ronin.”
“She had no choice on either of those ships. Now she does.”
“She is a Reiver. Reiver children do not cower in fear.”
“This isn’t about being a Reiver, this is about Anki being safe.”
“But she is a Reiver, or have you forgotten that? Perhaps I should move to the Reiver ship. At least there people will understand me and my culture.”
“Stop being so hostile. I’m just trying to look out for the kid.”
“She is my daughter. She stays with me.”
Jon knew he had no chance of winning this argument. If he was smart, he would have retreated earlier. “Fine, she stays. How has her training with your father been coming along?” He hoped changing the subject would save him.
Breeah looked angry, but relented. “Her training has been going well. My father has really been able to refine her skill.”
“Great. Is she still focusing on the lariat?”
“That and the use of other makeshift weapons. I am comfortable in her ability to defend herself with any common item available. Which leads me to something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”
“What’s that?”
“I want to take Anki to the firing range. I want to train her with energy weapons. Maybe even railguns.”
“What? Are you joking? That’s no place for a child.”
“I will be with her the whole time.”
“We’re not on the Ronin anymore. There are easily twice as many people on board the Freedom, if not more.”
“I’ll make sure she stays out of the way. If you’re worried about her safety, why not give her the ability to protect herself?”
Breeah’s words made Jon think back to his own childhood. His father had taught him how to handle weapons at an early age. It was how children in the resistance grew up. Better to fight for your freedom, than let yourself be captured and turned into a Chaanisar. That was what his father had taught him. Was any of this different? True, they weren’t under alien occupation, like Earth had been when h
e was a child, but they were threatened from all sides. They had the corporate fleet to deal with now, but would the Kemmar be far behind? If the Kemmar came and captured Anki, she would be forced into slavery. Should she not be given the ability to protect herself from that fate? Breeah was right, it was part of her culture. The Reivers were warriors, trained that way since birth, and Anki was a Reiver.
“You’re right,” said Jon. “Anki should learn how to use these weapons properly and safely. This ship is her home, after all.”
A smile spread across Breeah’s face and the threat of violence disappeared from her sultry, dark eyes. She stepped closer, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked up at him with a mischievous look on her face. “Thank you, Admiral,” she said invitingly.
Jon smiled back at her. I have no time for this right now, he thought. There’s too much to do. Feeling her fit body pressed tight against his, however, he thought, They’re a good crew. They can manage for an hour or so without me.
Chapter 28
Prime Minister Sallas looked up from his desk as his Diakan guest entered. He seemed in better shape than when they first landed. Since then they had been given accommodations and time to rest, and get their health up. He knew that even though they were in the brig on the Ronin, that they would’ve been fed and given proper medical care. Still, being imprisoned alone had a negative effect on one’s well-being, and it probably wasn’t any different for a Diakan.
“Welcome, I’m Prime Minister Sallas. Please sit down.” Sallas gestured to the chair facing his desk.
“I’m General Tallos,” said the Diakan. Sallas could tell by his demeanor that this Diakan was used to giving orders. “I understand I am in your debt, Prime Minister. Thank you for arranging our release.”