Admiral's Gambit (A Spineward Sectors Novel:)

by Luke Sky Wachter

  Now I had to re-evaluate everything I thought I knew about genetic experiments and what could actually be living out beyond the Rim of explored space.

  Taking in his wide, black-skinned face, flat nose and fur covered body, a body at least two or three times as thick and wide as a standard human, I now suspected this Glue wasn’t even human.

  Oh he was almost certainly of Terran origins, but he looked more gorilla than human. A gorilla with opposable thumbs and a strangely shaped head.

  Seeing this Glue turn his head, I felt a sickening lurch inside my stomach caused by something entirely different from Glue’s strange genetic origins. Those origins were enough to cause a being like him to be hunted down and killed. Exile would only be possible if he was captured by open-minded Confederation civilian authorities instead of the much more purist Imperial military.

  No, I considered myself in both spirit and fact to be a reasonably tolerant individual when it came to the issue of a person's heredity. What really sickened me was the sight of a number of harsh-looking implants. Crystal and metallic machinery had been installed across his skull. There was so much of it that the back of Glue’s head was almost entirely made of metal.

  Whereas most unthinking bigots would kill this Glue for his racial and/or genetic origins, those of us that considered ourselves above such petty and outdated notions were just as likely to shoot this creature until it was dead because of all the implanted computer technology in his head.

  Not since the AI wars had I heard of anything as intrusive as directly linking a human (or in this case I suppose the more proper term was sapient) brain directly to high tech computer hardware.

  The hardware in Glue’s head was enough to ensure he was dissected after death to determine how far the technological infection had progressed, and determine what kind of threat he and his people represented to an AI-free humanity.

  “Sickening,” I said coldly. I couldn’t help myself. Seeing a creature piloting starships, while it had no business being anything more than a semi-intelligent animal running around in a zoo or preservation habitat was bad enough. The fact that it was willing to put computer implants and other hardware in its head, and link that hardware directly into its brain was the crowning touch.

  “This?” Glue waved a thick hairy finger at the back of his head and the technology implanted there, “Or my very existence and that of my people,” he asked thickly.

  If I hadn’t known better, I would have said the creature was being deliberately provocative. On second thought, and another look at this Glue, I decided that I wasn’t giving this example of genetic uplift enough credit. Assuming this was Primarch Glue in the flesh, then the creature…or rather, the man was quite obviously intelligent and capable of higher social functions.

  I grimaced in distaste, and for one of the few times in my life, I actually questioned whether it was those like Raphael Tremblay, with his unthinking pro-human bias that were right, and me with my more tolerant view that was wrong.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, I forced myself back on mental track. If this was Glue, then the ‘man’ sitting here before me was none other than the most likely suspect for conquering a human system and stripping it bare of its most vital resources. To think of this thing as anything other than an intelligent and wiley opponent was the height of stupidity, arrogance and bigotry.

  I took a deep breath. “I don’t begrudge you the right to exist and live a peaceful life. But piracy is beyond the pale, and that headgear you’re sporting goes against everything I believe in,” I said more grimly than I originally intended.

  Glue shrugged. "Some of my people are born without the gifts a base stock like you take for granted. We see no reason for an individual to be denied the treatment needed to cure his condition. Or her condition,” Glue said with a shake of his massive head.

  “Placing implants in your head is just plain wrong,” I said flatly.

  Glue’s face scrunched up. “Why,” he asked.

  I was flabbergasted and it took a moment to realize that, yes, Glue sounded genuinely curious as to my reasoning.

  “Direct cortical interfaces were not only a significant step in the development of high functioning AI’s but also later, with the AI’s personally working on improving the technology, it led directly to the development of the slave implants of ancient times. Do you want to bring back the AI’s to plague us again? I say Man, not Machine,” I said, deliberately repeating a slogan learned in school.

  Glue frowned and seemed to consider this for a moment before once again shaking his massive head. “My people have used this technology since the Sundering. When we become an intelligent people. This is before AI Wars. We have no AI’s in hundreds of years,” the creature said, apparently believing this would dismiss my worries.

  “It's too great a risk,” I said reactively.

  “For your people, maybe. Not for us, we have no problems. Maybe our technicians teach you safe techniques,” suggested Glue, and his eyes momentarily flashed like a predator's.

  He seemed to expect my suddenly disgusted expression and proceeded to laugh in my face. It was an amazing sound, to be honest. Bi-tonal, with a bottom tone that sounded like a glacier grinding through a mountain, and the top almost perfectly human.

  I did my best to keep my features under control and merely looked at the creature coldly. “What will you teach us next, piracy? Do you also honestly believe raiding the worlds of others is the right and proper way of doing things,” I demanded.

  Glue held up three fingers. Using his other hand, he pointed to each finger individually. “Three times we settle our own world, beyond ‘Human Rim Space’. Three times your Empire comes and takes this world away, killing many. If we are humans, this is planetary piracy. If we are just animals, this is pest control or thinning of herd,” Glue said in what could only be described as an affable tone.

  “Not my Empire,” I said reflexively. “Besides, this world is not part of the Empire. The Imperial Navy has completely withdrawn from the entire Sector. You can’t justify bad behavior because of previous bad behaviors by other people.”

  Glue nodded and smiled. I didn’t particularly like that smile. It didn’t seem right. “So you are different humans from Empire,” Glue said, nodding with too much enthusiasm. “So when the Sundered, that is my people, go to your human courts and present case, you will fairly consider our evidence against Empire for Planetary Piracy times three and attempted Genocide? Or at least give us permission to settle uninhabited planet in Sector under your own protection?” he asked earnestly. I honestly couldn't tell if he was being genuine, or if he was trying to line me up for some whiplash in a moment.

  I frowned at him. That was never going to happen. Even if he could get a fair shake in the courts, I seriously doubted the new rump-Confederation would find it politic to champion the rights of gene-uplifts against those of the Empire. Public opinion across human space, including inside the Spineward Sectors, would turn against the new government so fast your head would spin.

  Nearly as bad from an individual Sector Government point of view would be the politics of openly supporting a colony of intelligent gorillas within the sector. It might not spark the sort of interstellar outcry as trying to prosecute the Empire in the name of the uplifted would, but it would just as surely be highly unpopular with the individual sector voters.

  “From your silence I think your new and different base-stock government is not so very different from old one as you would like to think,” Glue said, a hint of growl entering his deep voice.

  I went tense and eyed Glue cautiously. Reassured he wasn’t about to attack, I relaxed fractionally.

  “I can’t stand by while your people ravage the border worlds, and wouldn’t even if I could,” I said flatly. “I don’t care what justification you use for your actions. People died and vital resources were stolen. Not to mention any slaves your people may have taken.”

  Glue nodded his agreement. I was surprised. “It is g
ood policy you have, base-stock. I would be same way if my people were on world when was attacked,” said Glue.

  I just stared at the gorilla man for a moment. Then gave myself a shake. “Why did you do it then? Why risk being captured so that the last merchant ship could escape? We have determined, from speaking with the planet, that with only one Corvette and a small fleet of Gunships, plus the two merchantmen of course, you managed to knock out the entire local SDF. A force consisting of a light Destroyer and six Corvettes,” I paused to gauge his reaction, but Glue was giving nothing away, so I continued, “If you can do all that with so little, why not just withdraw and try again elsewhere?” I finished genuinely curious.

  “Glue has his reasons, base-stock,” he said stubbornly, his face a blank gorilla mask.

  “I’m sure you do but I’m serious here. What’s so important about whatever that second merchantman was carrying that you would let yourself be captured just to give it a chance to get away,” I demanded.

  Glue seemed to hesitate before making a chuffing sound, and I realized this was the equivalent for him of releasing a pent up breath. “Sundered people need many things,” he said enigmatically.

  “Obviously,” I said rolling my eyes.

  Glue looked slightly stung. “With best parts of two factories and many trained technicians to show my people how to work them, more, many more Sundered will survive this year,” said Glue with what looked like a scowl on his face, but that particular expression was one of the harder ones to discern, at least for me.

  “Surely you can always get more factories if you really are the one who organized the raid,” I said skeptically.

  “My people do not have time for laters. Three times we try to take what we need but always your ship there to stop us. It must be now or never,” said Glue, glaring at me. “I cannot have the same risk again and again and always say I can do later.” His one fist crashed into the other for emphasis.

  “Surely that can’t be all there is to it. You can’t be saying you just got impatient and threw your life away,” I protested.

  Glue turned both palms up. I shook my head in disbelief.

  “With this,” he said pointing to the hardware in his head, “No need for lots of Sundered to run old Corvette and little gunships. Many Sundered are needed on merchant ships and captured SDF. Few are on Glue’s old ship. Better that some should die today so that many are certain to live tomorrow.”

  The Primarch looked fierce enough to leap out of his chair and attack when he added, “I do not put my value above that of my people.” Glue slumped back in his chair and looked resigned to his fate.

  He sounded genuine, but his features were hard to read. After all, he was a gene-uplift. He could be feeding me a line and how could I tell? I mean really tell. Perhaps it was time for a little fishing expedition.

  “You are the same Glue who spoke with me when we captured your former colleagues, Primarch Glue,” I inquired, a bit of steel in my voice.

  Glue paused to consider my words before nodding slowly.

  “You know the punishment for piracy,” I enquired.

  “Spaced out airlock,” answered Glue.

  “I can mitigate the sentence for you and your crew, to life on a primitive world,” I said.

  Glue’s ears perked up, which was more than a little bit disturbing.

  “Just answer me one question. Where are the stolen orbital factories,” I said, adding a hard edge to my voice. I put the weight of an Admiral behind it, or at least my best approximation of it.

  Glue’s ears wilted and he shook his head. “Take me to airlock,” he said glumly.

  I was a bit taken aback. Refusal I’d been expecting. A request to be spaced… now that was something I hadn’t planned on encountering.

  “I can always have a medical team get the information out of you that way, by force,” I said playfully.

  The pirate captain tapped the metallic implants on the back of his head and grinned. “No luck there, base-stock,” he grunted. Then half turned in his chair, exposing his back. It was crisscrossed with strips of patchy fur. Underneath some of the larger patches I could see raised and knotted skin. “Others have tried to beat information out of me. You can’t see now, but once they cut off all fingers on this hand,” he said, wiggling his right hand.

  “My people are very skilled,” I lied, “besides, if you apply enough pain, anyone will break. Better ways of doing things are not the only way.”

  The gorilla looking man grunted. “With implants I have no sensation of pain if I do not want it. The information you want is not here,” he said tapping the implants, “nor is it here,” he said tapping the front of his head. “It is half in meat and half in machine. Your people will have tough job getting what you want.”

  I glared at the Primarch, none too happy at his apparent willingness to call my bluff.

  “Besides, you do not want location of Sundered people,” he said decisively. As if he knew something I did not.

  “Oh,” I said stiffly. “You claim to know my thoughts better than I do now?”

  “Base-stock Admiral does not want location of few miserable ‘monkey-boys’,” the Primarch said in what I could only assume was a deliberate imitation of the derogatory comments of his former human associates.

  “At the moment, that information seems right near the top of my list,” I glowered.

  Glue tensed and shot me a glance before relaxing and then leaned back in his chair. “If big-time Admiral stops to think with his head instead of with fire in his belly, he will see that Glue is telling him truth,” said the big gene-uplift. He sounded cautious. Of course, as I said, it was hard to tell. Glue didn’t exactly sound like a human.

  For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what type of head-game the gorilla man was playing at. “Enlighten me,” I said with a quick bob of my eyebrows, showing my skepticism.

  “Glue will never give you way to find his people. Same-same with all his people you capture. If they know, they are like Glue and cannot talk. If not, then they don’t know enough to lead you to our people. But location of Sundered People not only thing being in Primarch Glue’s head,” he said with a smile.

  “I'm listening,” I said, tapping my fingers on the desk.

  Once again, the gene-uplift tapped his skull. “In this head are many secrets. Including the location of very big pirate base,” said the Primarch.

  I made a throwaway motion with my hands. “Now you expect me to believe you are willing to turn on your pirate confederates. This pirate brotherhood I’ve heard so much about? More likely you are trying to lead me into some kind of trap,” I scoffed.

  Glue placed both hands on the table and leaned forward. The way his elbows stuck up in the air made him appear even larger than he was. I had to stop myself from an instinctive reach for my sword.

  “Glue only cares for the safety of his people. Pirate Clans will trade with anyone who is strong enough and has credits, but Sundered like Glue will always be ‘monkey-boy’ to them. My people take wrong step and,” he slammed his fist onto the table, “bang! Off to mines or straight to barbeque pit,” he said.

  It took me a moment to absorb the implications. When I did, I felt nothing but disgust for the pirates. The other pirates we captured said something about roasting Glue on the barbeque, but I’d thought that was just an expression. Looking at Glue when he said the same thing, suddenly I didn’t think it was an expression anymore.

  What kind of sick animal would willingly eat another sentient being? Repulsive is what it was. Assuming I wasn’t being played, I was starting to think I’d done the universe a disservice by not killing Glue’s former associates when I had the chance, even if it had been the smart play and netted us an additional pair of Corvettes.

  “Let's say I wanted to believe you, how could I,” I asked bleakly. I was genuinely curious how he’d answer.

  The Primarch squinted one eye at me and while his other roamed around the room independently. It was quite s
ickening. “Your worlds burn and you are in ship too slow to catch responsible ones. Even if you in same system. These pirates raiding and destroying decades of hard work over the night. Your Rim will soon be pirate territory if you can’t stop them. Like me, you must grasp any straws you can find,” Glue sounded entirely too smug for my taste.

  “We’ll see about that,” I said turning to leave. I motioned for my men to open up the door to the cell and then stepped out into the brig. It was a relief to get away from the gene-uplift. Glue was a strange person, gorilla or no, that was for sure.

  “You can’t believe a thing that AI slave says,” said Tremblay pacing back and forth in front of the monitor screen. He glared at the genetic-uplift and his mouth worked as if he was going to spit.

  I sighed. It seemed my relief was to be short lived. I turned to face the head of the medical team on standby outside the cell. Anything to put off a conversation with the irate First Officer. Right now I needed to mull over what I’d heard from Glue, not have to deal with my XO.

  “Get blood samples and let me know if he’s telling the truth about being able to resist chemical interrogation,” I ordered, glancing over to include a pair of Lancer guards in my instructions. The combined team nodded.

  Tremblay threw his hands in the air. “This is insane. It doesn’t matter if he’s telling the truth or not. We should space that foul creature along with the rest of his unnatural kind. I’d say an airlock was too good for an AI slave like that, but we have to be better than our enemies or else what’s the point,” he said hotly before bursting out. “Let's just kill it and move on.”

  I blinked twice and stared at the First Officer. To my mind the logic of his last statement just didn’t compute. Not knowing where to start I gave myself a shake, there was no point in explaining all the bigotry wrapped up inside that little outburst of his.

  Irritably I waved him away. “I’d make a deal with a Droid if I thought it would give us a shot at taking down those pirates and saving the border worlds,” I said flatly.