Flight of the Javelin: The Complete Series: A Space Opera Box Set

by Rachel Aukes

  Punch frowned at her. “Hey, I thought you were the optimist.”

  “That’s me being optimistic,” she said.

  The trio entered the elevator, took it up to level eight, and walked until they came to a massive meeting room created by retracting the walls to all the other conference rooms on that level. Much of level eight had been the scene of a gunfight several months earlier, though it bore no outward signs of damage now. Nearly every chair at the rows of tables was filled with marshals.

  “Do you think all eight hundred marshals are here?” Finn asked.

  She shrugged. “All I know, if I were a criminal, now would be the perfect time to rob a bank.”

  Punch scowled. “I knew it. This is going to be one of those long meetings. Chief doesn’t pull everyone together unless it’s going to be a long one.”

  “Relax. We’ll get back to the others soon enough. Macy’s in good hands with Sylvian,” Throttle said as she claimed a seat.

  “I’m more worried about Eddy. He’s always up to something,” he countered as he took a seat to Throttle’s right.

  “You should be worried,” Finn said. “Before we left, Eddy was talking to Macy about using her small hands on some electrical wiring project of his.” He sat on Throttle’s left.

  Punch stiffened. “I’m going to kill him.”

  “You’re not killing anyone on my team,” Throttle said.

  Chief entered the room, and all the side conversations muted. He walked over to the podium and opened a comm line using the computer screen built into the podium. The images of several dozen additional marshals displayed on the wall behind him.

  “That answers your question. Not every marshal is here,” Throttle said to Finn.

  “Thank you all for coming today,” Chief began. “You’d better make yourselves comfortable, because we have a lot to discuss.”

  Punch groaned.

  “By now, you should’ve all read the details of the Defender Protocol. Unfortunately, the Consortium won’t commit to activating the Defender Protocol across all star systems until the Swarm blatantly attacks a colonized system. I sent them the details of our recent interaction with five Swarm probes in this system, but they said the data didn’t show who initiated the attack.” Chief rolled his eyes. “What the Consortium doesn’t realize is that if we wait for the Swarm to attack, it’ll be too late. They are faster than us, more agile than us, likely have greater numbers than us, and are possibly smarter than us.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Throttle said under her breath, remembering how easily they’d taken control of Rusty.

  Chief continued, “I sent you a lot of data packets when I activated the Defender Protocol. If you haven’t gotten yourselves up to speed yet, then you’d better get familiar with those files right quick because we are facing an alien invasion. The alien species I’m talking about is called the Swarm, and they’re no more aliens than we are. They are an artificial intelligence species that evolved from exploratory probes sent out by Vantage Corporation, located in Brazil on Earth, in the year 2124. These probes were different from their predecessors in that they were von Neumann probes—that means that they were designed to replicate themselves. Their original mission was to track the entire universe for navigational charts.

  “All signals to the probes were disconnected when Vantage went bankrupt, and no new corporation took them on. They expected the probes to go into sleep mode. Instead, the probes most certainly did not go into sleep mode. When left without a directive, they managed to form their own, one that we do not know. They adapted and replicated for the next few hundred years, and no one knew anything until they decided to come back home.”

  “Hi, mom, pops. I’m home,” Finn mused softly.

  Chief continued, “The Swarm first attacked us nearly three hundred years ago. There is no doubt that they showed aggression first, because they destroyed an unarmed science station in the Leonis system. That wasn’t their only attack. There were five other attacks—one of them being only a single system away from Ross. The Galactic Peacekeepers partnered with anyone who had an armed ship—yes, that meant they teamed up with pirates as well as space marines from each Sol nation—to fend off the Swarm. The final battle occurred in the Gliese system. Nearly two thousand human-crewed ships went up against five hundred Swarm probes. We won, barely, and we thought the Swarm had been destroyed. That is, until the Red Dynasty identified a Swarm probe right here near Free Station three months ago. Luckily for us, the Swarm hasn’t changed the looks of their probes in three hundred years.”

  “Chief?” a marshal called out, raising his arm.

  Chief nodded toward the marshal. “What is it, Marshal Ames?”

  “How come we didn’t hear about the Swarm before now? I’ve only ever heard about them as an urban legend, and I couldn’t find anything on Atlas net about them.”

  Throttle had the same question. She’d found it odd that there’d been no records found with any of the search terms she’d tried: Swarm, Vantage Core, alien enemies, AI gone bad. That she couldn’t find anything stank of the type of cover-up she often saw back in the Trappist system. She wondered what it was about human nature that caused them to hide things from others.

  Chief’s lips thinned. “The reason you’ve never read about the Swarm is politics, plain and simple. One of the first acts by the Consortium, when they were founded, was to classify all Swarm-related information. They felt the idea of another dangerous life form in space would make recruiting colonists harder, and Sol was desperate to expand its colonies. With the threat believed to have been eliminated, they felt that colonists having knowledge of the Swarm did no one any good. Unfortunately, the Consortium is still clinging to that mentality, and they don’t want to approve the Defender Protocol unless they’re backed into a corner.”

  “Damn politicians,” Punch muttered under his breath. “Wish we could space every last one of them.”

  “I agree.” Throttle gave a small nod. “At least it now makes sense why AI has always been illegal. They didn’t want to create another Swarm.”

  “Fortunately, as director of the Galactic Peacekeepers in the Ross system, I have the authority to initiate the Defender Protocol across my system, and the Consortium can’t do anything about it,” Chief said.

  Cheers erupted from the marshals in attendance.

  “We’re lucky at least one GP chief has the balls to do something,” Finn said.

  Throttle gave him a quick look. The Consortium could fire Chief if they wanted. The Consortium had established the Galactic Peacekeepers and was still the oversight committee for the GP. She wondered if the Consortium was giving Chief enough rope to hang himself, or if Chief was carrying out their wishes in a way that didn’t require their name on the signature line.

  Chief tamped the air with his hands. “That’s why you’re here today. I’ve activated the Defender Protocol. This means that every Peacekeeper in this system is focused on protecting Ross against the Swarm. I’ve alerted all Hiraeth barons, as well as all senior managers across the mining colonies, that we are unable to provide services to them until the Swarm threat is eradicated.”

  “Let the villainy commence,” Punch muttered.

  “I bet they weren’t happy,” someone yelled.

  “No, they weren’t. But our jobs have never been to make people happy. We’re the Galactic Peacekeepers—we’re the armed forces for our colonized systems. Our jobs are to stop those who intend to harm our colonists by whatever means necessary. Right now, that threat is the Swarm, and we are the only armed force that stands between them and what we can only assume is the end of humankind.”

  “Chief, why do you think they’re showing themselves now after three hundred years?” a marshal asked.

  “I bet they were still around, watching us, and we just didn’t notice,” Finn said quietly to Throttle.

  She turned to him. “You think?”

  He nodded. “Every significant power throughout history keeps
tabs on its enemies.”

  She considered Finn’s words and realized they made sense. After all, how long had that Swarm probe been prowling around Free Station without being noticed? Even with tens of thousands of ships traveling through the Ross system every year, Throttle rarely saw another ship that they weren’t actively looking for. There could have been hundreds of probes in the Ross system, and she never would’ve noticed. After all, Rusty was one of them.

  Chief replied, “My guess is that they were licking their wounds. There are millions of uncolonized systems out there that they could have. That they decided to return to a system they knew was colonized by humans means that they’re not afraid of another fight. The bad news is that these new probes were faster than the ones that humanity fought 300 years ago. That means it’s going to take everything we’ve got to go up against the Swarm. The Consortium has rejected support—they want to keep their hands clean. The GP directors in the other systems can’t help without Consortium approval since helping us is outside their jurisdiction. The Red Dynasty has offered to send three warships under the condition that they are used to protect Hiraeth, which I understand since there are six Red colonies on Hiraeth. I haven’t heard back from any other nation for support yet, though I expect the Australians will send at least one warship due to the number of mining colonies they have in this system.”

  Chief took a deep breath and looked across the faces in the room. “With all that, it’s still not enough. Our data shows that the Swarm have been busy. They have built an entire planet, with two moons, both of which the analysts believe are used for producing more Swarm probes. That means they could be producing thousands of probes every month, though access to resources likely constrains them. Our analysts believe that the Swarm chose a system with at least four primordial black holes for access to resources. Essentially, their system is an intersection of several star systems. Our analysts theorize that the Swarm have been pushing metal-rich asteroids through the primordial black hole that leads to their system for processing. There are several more primordial black holes in that system, which we are calling Swarm system, though I’m sure the Consortium won’t like that name. I’m explaining all of this so you understand that the Swarm are intelligent, calculating, and likely better prepared for war than we are.”

  No one spoke while Chief paused to take a drink of water. “My goal is to prevent a war by making a first strike so successful that the Swarm will be annihilated. We will launch a massive offense against the Swarm home world in the Swarm system. Many of you will be a part of the offense.”

  “Isn’t that outside our jurisdiction?” Marshal Williams yelled.

  “It’s not inside our established jurisdiction, but we’re legally allowed to pursue threats outside our system if we initiated pursuit while in Ross. Also, since the Swarm system is not under the jurisdiction of any GP force, that means we’re not breaking any laws engaging targets there,” Chief replied.

  Punch chuckled soundlessly. “Got to love semantics when it comes to bending laws.”

  “What’s the first-strike operation look like?” someone asked.

  “Good question,” Chief answered. “We still have to work out the details.”

  “I’m curious as to how we’re going to take down an enemy the size of a planet,” Throttle muttered.

  Murmurs rose, but the room quieted.

  “In addition to our first strike, we will maintain a formidable defense in the Ross system, leveraging our allies and anyone else willing to stand against the Swarm. Some of you will remain behind to help protect Ross. Even then, our numbers are too low.”

  His gaze flashed over the group. “I’m going to offer clemency to any pirates who are willing to defend Ross against the Swarm.”

  The room filled with voices, many of them angry shouts.

  Punch yelled, “Great idea. Free all the criminals right when we head out of the system.”

  “I guess that means we have some long-term job security,” Throttle said quietly.

  “Yeah, if we survive the next week,” Finn countered.

  Chief patted the air with his hands. “I know it’s distasteful, especially after the families and friends we lost on Free Station. But the Swarm could end all of humanity. It’s a compromise that we must accept. For the marshals remaining in the Ross system, you will have full authority to shoot-to-kill any criminals who renege on their clemency contracts.”

  A few derogatory comments floated around the room, but most of the marshals settled down for Chief to continue. “Another thing. We believe Atlas may be at risk of compromise.”

  “Again?” someone called out.

  Chief’s lips thinned. “We have reason to believe the Swarm have acquired data on Atlas’s schematics…”

  Punch turned a hard look to Throttle, then Finn. “You told him?”

  Finn nodded. “He needed to know,” he said, shooting just as hard a look back at him.

  Throttle stayed silent. Sylvian, not Finn, had been the one to send a full action report to Chief upon their return to Ross.

  “You realize I’m likely going to spend the rest of my life in prison,” Punch said.

  “If you’re lucky. Back in the Trappist system, they shot traitors,” Finn said.

  Punch scowled, then turned back to Chief, who was still talking.

  “…Therefore, we will not be leveraging Atlas for our communications on this mission. Everyone will utilize standard GP communication channels through your ship comms. Is that understood?”

  A murmur of complaints arose; then Chief continued, “We have a lot of planning to do in a very short time. We expect to launch in four days. The specialists are being briefed in the great hall as we speak. You’ll be spending much of that time prepping your ships and teams, and in meetings. So get some rest. You’ll need it. For the first time in three centuries, we’re going after the Swarm.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  They’d just reached the Javelin when Throttle’s, Finn’s, and Punch’s Atlas chips all chimed in unison.

  Punch sighed. “It looks like Chief isn’t done interrogating us.”

  The trio turned around and made their way to Chief’s office, which was on the same level as the conference rooms. The door was closed when they approached. Finn knocked, and the door opened a few seconds later.

  Throttle frowned as she followed Finn in. “Eddy, Sylvian, what’re you doing here?”

  Eddy bristled.

  “Eddy brought me here from the briefing,” Sylvian said.

  “Specialist Edwards has offered an idea that may work for Operation First Strike,” Chief said.

  “This operation has an official name now? That means things are getting real,” Punch said.

  Chief shot him a glance before turning back to the others. “Based on initial analysis, the idea holds weight. I have asked you all here to discuss it and get your opinion, as I have a rather significant concern related to it.”

  “We’re all ears,” Throttle said.

  Chief motioned to Eddy, whose features shone with pride. “We can’t beat the Swarm without destroying Vantage Core. It’s basically the brain, and all the probes are like fingers and toes.”

  “How do you know this?” Throttle asked.

  “When Rusty was connected to Vantage Core, he was able to see how the Swarm functions. They’re not like Rusty. I mean, they could be like Rusty, but they’ve collectively chosen not to be like Rusty. Sometime over the past few centuries, they decided they were a more effective species by investing in a singular probe—or a singularity to be more precise—whose purpose was to take inputs and run complex algorithms to determine a response. All the probes do this to some extent, but Core does this on an exponentially more complex level. That’s why it’s a planet rather than just a probe. It needs a lot of power for its mental processes—brain power, if you will—so they built it within a giant power-generation plant. The moons are essentially their first attempts at replicating the Core, because they’l
l need more Cores once they spread over enough distance that a single Core can’t support trillions of probes.”

  Throttle gulped. “Trillions?”

  Eddy waved her off. “Well, they’re not even close to that yet. They’re only in the millions.”

  “Millions?” Finn’s brow rose. “We can’t fight millions of those things.”

  “We won’t have to. Most of them are spread out across star systems. So we don’t have to worry about them for years and years.”

  “But what’s to stop them from replicating and coming after us?” Finn asked.

  “Nothing. Now quit distracting me. We don’t have to worry about those probes right now. We have to focus on that rogue planet out there and the probes that can reach the Ross system,” Eddy said.

  “What’s your plan, Eddy?” Throttle said calmly, even though the idea of millions—or potentially trillions—of Swarm probes would give her nightmares for the rest of her life.

  “It’s pretty straightforward. Everything the Swarm builds is made of the same alloy…it has a little bit of flex to it, which makes traveling through black holes easier; the hull’s strong, as we’ve seen from all the times Throttle’s tried to kill us—”

  “Hey,” Throttle said.

  Eddy ignored her. “Anyway, we know the alloy, so we know what works against it. Being slightly softer, its surface is more permeable than most alloys used in space. That’s their weakness. All we have to do is load up the fastest ship in the system—that’s probably the Javelin—with a ton of fluoroantimonic acid or azidoazide azide and—”

  “Hold on, buddy,” Finn said. “What’s fluo—”

  “Fluoroantimonic acid and azidoazide azide,” Eddy replied.

  “I asked him the same thing earlier,” Sylvian said.

  When Finn, Throttle, and Punch continued to give him a blank look, Chief stepped in. “Fluoroantimonic acid is essentially the nastiest acid known to exist. It’ll burn a hole through just about anything and everything out there.”

  “Then how could we transport it?” Throttle asked.