by S. H. Jucha
There were two problems plaguing the strategists: How to make better use of their forces, and how to stop thirty-five battleships from running for the deep dark.
Alex considered the overall strategy in light of Cordelia’s reminder of the auto-controlled fighters. “We cut the periphery Trident number by half,” he announced. “Use fifteen Tridents to prosecute the probes and share the other fourteen against the three fleets.
Julien populated the wireframe model with the new approach. “If the Tridents on the periphery begin their attack much earlier, launching banishers or auto-controlled travelers immediately, there’s an opportunity for each one to prosecute two probes.”
“That was my thought,” Alex replied.
Tatia was about to mention that the extra fourteen banishers weren’t enough to stop the lesser fleets, when Cordelia’s announcement came first.
“I’ve found another item of interest,” Cordelia said. Silver bells accompanied her announcement. “We’ve a bay full of minelette pallets.”
Most of Alex’s senior staff burst out laughing, and the SADEs added their round of raucous sounds. Reiko, who had joined the Omnians later, as did Franz, recalled the use of the tiny but effective devices against United Earth’s warships.
“Do you think they’re still good?” Tatia asked Mickey.
Mickey grinned, and said, “According to the Méridiens, who originally created the explosive Libran-X, the stuff was determined to have a shelf life of about three hundred years. I think we’re still good.”
“And the final item, Alex, is four pallets of Libran-X,” Cordelia announced.
“The SADE that keeps on giving,” Julien said, with pride.
“So, we have automated fighters, banishers, minelettes, and a quantity of Libran-X,” Tatia said. “I still don’t think we have enough forces and armament to stop the three fleets if they run.”
“Maybe we don’t have to defeat them,” Alex said. “Maybe we only need to intimidate them. It’s all going to be in the timing.”
-26-
Countdown
With five cycles remaining until the beginning of the attack to take back Toral, Tittra decided he could wait no longer. Herrick had reached the time limit for which it would have expected a challenge.
On a section of the Freedom’s lower decks, the Chistorlans crowded around Tittra. Arguments flew back and forth about Herrick and its next interaction. On the one side, programmers and techs wanted to preserve the status quo. They wanted to program the competitor with improved techniques and allow it to defeat Herrick. An improved generation would be created.
On the other side, some Chistorlans thought there was value to Alex’s suggestion. They believed it wasn’t about creating an improved generation as much as it was about preparing an entity to defeat Artifice — an entity that believed it could win.
Despite not being a part of Tittra’s department, Miftra offered a salient point. He said heatedly, “You debate this subject without the proper weight given to Alex’s suggestion.”
“Alex isn’t part of this department,” Tittra replied, hoping to quash Miftra’s input. “He doesn’t fully understand the intricacies of what we’re doing.” Belatedly, Tittra glanced at Lipsit and caught her disapproving eye.
Miftra wasn’t put off by Tittra’s remarks, and he croaked his amusement.
“Alex Racine is surrounded by digital entities, who are much more sophisticated than ours,” Miftra shot back, holding up a single digit to enumerate his first point.
“The Omnians are interstellar travelers, while we hide in tunnels and caverns,” Miftra said, adding a second digit. “Their shuttles lift into the air without the release of gases or heat. They speak to one another with their thoughts. They build pallets for transport that float and can be maneuvered anywhere. They communicate instantly across vast amounts of space. What more do you need to know about Omnians to give Alex’s suggestion more attention?”
By the time Miftra finished, he was holding up both hands and had run out of digits to indicate his count.
Lipsit was tempted to list more items in support of Miftra, such as the SADEs tasting Chistorlan foods and water by inserting small samples into their mouths, but she chose to stay out of the argument. Her job, as she saw it, was to preserve the emotional balance of the males, not become a divisive member of the party.
“Have not the alterations we’ve made to each generation proven to produce a stronger opponent?” Tittra argued.
“That’s not the central part of the discussion, Tittra,” Miftra shot back. “You’ve spent almost every moment aboard this ship, except for the first evening, here in our assigned space. But I’ve been touring this ship, watching the Omnians, listening to them with the aid of a SADE and observing their culture.”
“What’s your point, Miftra?” Tittra asked testily.
“It’s what I learned,” Miftra replied. He wasn’t angry with Tittra, who was simply a programmer, albeit a master one. The department head didn’t want to explore beyond his cavern of digital entities, much less beyond Chistorlan space.
“I learned that despite my size, I’m treated as an equal,” Miftra continued. “To the Omnians, I’m a sentient being who does not wish to compete with them, to harm them in any manner. So I’m accepted.”
“I don’t understand your point,” Tittra replied. He was losing his patience with Miftra.
“Do you like the Omnians?” Miftra asked, trying to approach the subject from a different direction.
“They’re an acceptable race,” Tittra allowed.
“Would you say they’re warlike or aggressive?” Miftra asked.
“No, not necessarily,” Tittra replied.
“Yet, the Omnians have crossed a vast distance of space to eliminate a foe that threatens them,” Miftra said. “Why do you think they chose to do that?”
When Tittra failed to respond, Miftra said, “Because they believe it’s the right thing to do for their societies, which I understand encompasses four races. They do it for the benefit of all. Now, I ask you, Who would know better how to approach a challenge such as the one we face with Artifice … you or an acknowledged leader of these races?”
Tittra was stumped and unable to form a rebuttal. More important, Tittra could see in the faces of those who previously supported him that Miftra had convinced them of his argument. He was tempted to make a decision without further input, but Lipsit’s watchful eyes challenged him. As a department head, he was obligated to take input from others.
“It looks like you’ve won, Miftra,” Tittra announced with resignation.
“Tittra, it isn’t about winning or losing,” Miftra said encouragingly. “It’s about trying to make the best decision.”
“Whatever the reason, the decision has been made,” Tittra responded.
The Chistorlan programmers set to work carefully tweaking the contender’s programming to make it slightly less aggressive than Herrick, while the techs worked with two SADEs to move the pallets next to each other and ready the connection.
When the preparations were complete, Tittra signaled the techs, who completed the connection. As expected, there was an acceleration of processing by both entities, as exhibited by the rapid bubbling of oxygen seen through the view panels. Soon the activity within the challenger slowed and then ceased altogether. Moments later, the bright orange liquid within the case went dark.
Immediately, the programmers reviewed the data collected on the exchange.
“Can you detect any changes in Herrick that would indicate the type of reaction that Alex predicted?” Tittra asked.
“There are the expected improvements in attack methodology, speed, and ferocity,” a senior programmer replied, “but no indication of code that would speak to a celebration or some consequence of being victorious.”
Tittra looked at Miftra, as if to say, I told you so, but Miftra only croaked in amusement. “Just how did you expect to recognize an emotion in a digital entity, Tittra?” Mi
ftra asked. “You’ve never even thought of its existence before now.” At that, Miftra left the workspace room to continue his exploration of the Freedom, and a SADE dutifully followed him.
* * *
Several decks above the Chistorlans, Reiko passed Julien in a corridor. A thought had been troubling her, and she took the opportunity to chat with him.
“Is there any reason that we can’t hit Artifice’s antennas with a single banisher?” Reiko asked. “It seems to be Artifice’s weakest point, and it would limit the destruction to the planet that the Toralians are worried about.”
“Artifice would usurp a banisher in short order,” Julien replied. “And if you suggest that we use a banisher that has a disconnected comm system, then Artifice would target the Trident. The sister and her copies would succumb, and Artifice would destroy the ship.”
“We seem to be ready to sacrifice the fleet,” Reiko riposted. “Is the thought of risking a single Trident so horrible to consider?”
“I wish it was that simple, Reiko,” Julien said sympathetically. “You grew up with United Earth computers aboard your ships, but none of those digital computational devices compare to the SADEs’ capabilities.”
Reiko started to speak, and Julien held up a hand to forestall her.
“The SADEs believe that Artifice is many times more powerful than us in either our singular form or when we’re connected,” Julien said. “With its abilities, a singular Trident could be overtaken before it could launch a banisher. Alex has the right idea, Reiko. Artifice will be inundated by the multiple actions we take. Each sequence will spread its attention across more events. That will limit its ability to focus on any single ship with its full intensity.”
“We could disconnect the Trident’s comm connection,” Reiko argued.
“That would seem to be a reasonable approach,” Julien agreed. “However, the salient point is the damage the banisher might do to the Toral’s polar region, the estimate of which is complicated by an unknown factor. What’s Artifice’s power source and could the banisher detonate it?”
Julien saw that Reiko hadn’t considered those possibilities. “We need the Toralians, Reiko. If we heavily damage their planet, we impair that relationship.”
* * *
Renée prepared thé for Alex, Mickey, and Myron. She knew Homsaff would forgo a drink in the company she would find herself.
The Dischnya had recognized that their long muzzles necessitated eating habits completely different from humans. They still joined humans and SADEs for meal times, but they sat at their own tables. Furthermore, Homsaff had chosen to turn the tables, so to speak, on humans, if they decided to dine at the Dischnya tables, and this included Myron, their commandant.
“Eat with the Dischnya; dine like the Dischnya” was the chant the warriors would sing out. Servers brought food on serving plates and drinks in wide bowls to the table, and they never delivered utensils.
Myron and Homsaff were the final members to reach the suite. Alex indicated a chair for Homsaff. He’d had one made that allowed a small section at the rear of the seat to be removed. The queen was able to drop her tail through the opening.
Homsaff eyed the cutout and neatly threaded her whip-like tail through it. Her lips pulled away from the rows of sharp, dangerous-looking teeth in an imitation of a human smile, which she extended to Alex.
“I’ve a dangerous mission for you and your warriors, Homsaff,” Alex announced, when everyone was settled. “The Toralian grand commander has requested that we don’t destroy the polar region of his planet to be rid of Artifice or, at least, the antennas. At this point, we have to rule out any type of bombardment because we don’t know what kind of power source is buried alongside Artifice.”
“With the antennas operational, no human, with an implant, or SADE can get near that region,” Myron surmised.
“But the Dischnya can,” Homsaff said with pride.
“That’s correct,” Alex said.
“Can a traveler even safely land on the planet?” Myron asked.
“Artifice’s antennas are towers that are equipped with highly directional, low-power arrays that are designed to communicate with the planet’s comm platforms,” Julien interjected. “We surmise that anything Artifice sends is received by every comm platform and sent to all probes. It would be a redundancy that Artifice would cultivate.”
“So, once the platforms are gone, a craft could approach from the opposite pole and make its way toward Artifice’s location at the other end of the planet, staying close to the surface,” Myron offered.
“Yes,” Julien replied. “When the sister received Artifice’s contact, the ship would quickly reverse course until the signal was lost.”
“That could be a long distance from the drop point to the pole without transport,” Myron challenged.
“And it will be even a harder trip with the gear the warriors must carry,” Alex said. He remembered the vision of Homsaff’s eyes that had resolved so long ago. Those same sharp ones stared at him now.
“The Dischnya will destroy Artifice’s antennas,” Homsaff said. Her eyes glinted, and her jaw opened. Behind the chair’s back, her tail rose in exultation.
“Yes,” Alex agreed.
Renée, who knew of the vision of those eyes that haunted Alex until he understood it, shook her head slowly only once. They had needed the Dischnya during the investigation of the downed colony ship, New Terra, for fear of the digital power of Faustus. Now, they would need the warriors a second time for the same reason. She stood next to Miranda, behind and to the side of Alex, and she shared a glance with the SADE.
Renée stared at Miranda. The SADE continued to face the conversation in front of them, even while her sensors recorded Renée’s expression.
A shudder went through Renée. Miranda was tempted to send her something soothing, but she reasoned that her sharing had been unwelcome and more wouldn’t help.
Alex had activated a holo-vid, and Renée chose to focus on its imagery. Like many things about her and her partner’s future, she’d learned to take their lives together one day at a time. There was no means of predicting what was to come, not the way Alex lived his life.
“This is time-elapsed vid of a migration across Toral’s surface,” Alex said, and he played the vid.
“What are those blobs?” Myron asked.
“Bots,” Julien said. “Bots of all sizes and descriptions. They’re heading for the polar region.”
“We suspect they have a dual purpose,” Alex added. “On the one hand, they appear to be building powerful arrays. The SADEs believe they’ll be capable of transmitting to the probes in the event the comm platforms are taken down. The second function might be that the bots are prepared to act as an army against surface intruders.”
“How powerful can these bots be?” Myron asked.
“We surmise they range from tech bots with intricate small appendages to multi-ton construction bots and everything in between,” Julien replied.
“That would make an effective army,” Myron mused.
“They would advance on the warriors from all directions,” Homsaff said, which drew everyone’s attention. “When knowledge spreads of our coming,” she
continued, “the small ones will bury themselves and spring out at our legs, cutting and chopping. The large ones will attempt to roll over us. There might exist airborne bots.”
“You’re quite right, Homsaff,” Alex agreed. “The bots comprise many forms of machinery that can slice, impact, or crush a warrior. Every warrior will need to fight with plasma rifles.”
“Alex, I’ve only trained Homsaff and her squad leaders, Simlan and Hessan, on the plasma rifles,” Myron objected. “And let’s not forget that we’ve no place to train the others with these weapons.”
“I’ve a solution for that aspect of the assault, Myron,” Alex said. “But there’s something to clarify first.” He turned toward Homsaff, and said, “You’re correct in your thoughts about how dangerous this will be for you and your warriors. What I want to know, Homsaff, is whether you want to take on the task.”
“Have we not been of use to you on this expedition?” Homsaff asked.
“You have, critically so,” Alex allowed.
“Then why would you question whether we would want to continue to participate in the fight?” Homsaff queried. “You don’t question your admirals if they wish to engage in combat.”
“No, I don’t,” Alex replied. “You have my apologies, Queen Homsaff, for doubting your commitment to this expedition’s goal.”
“You don’t doubt our commitment, Alex,” Homsaff replied tartly, her eyes gleaming. “You wish to protect us, as if we were your pups. While we appreciate that affection’s warmth, it is not what we desire. We wish to be treated as equals.”
Alex laughed out loud, and Homsaff’s long tongue hung out the side of her mouth. She had bested Alex in the exchange. He knew it, and she knew it. It was a rare and delicious moment for Homsaff.
“This is how we’ll proceed,” Alex began. “Mickey, I want the vid cams on the Dischnya again. They can relay to one of the warriors with a boosted comm signal, and that pack can be shared over the days. And you need to adapt plasma rifles and energy packs to supply all the warriors. Include spare rifles and packs.”