The AI War Part 32

The twenty-five surviving troopers turned, backs to the black metal of the tower, staring into the thinning fog.

Zahava set the blastpak's timer and stepped away, waving everyone against the tower wall.

It was a precise, almost surgical explosion, punching out all but the doors' far corners.

Zahava leading, the attackers poured into the tower, exchanging fire with the first security post, killing the guards.

With a quick underhand toss, she and S'Lat rolled grenades into the forcefield. Overloaded beyond tolerance by the twin explosions, the field disappeared in a blinding white flash.

Moving at a dead run, the troopers charged up the ramp.

"Hostile vessel approaching," reported combat control.

"Batteries to open fire," ordered the captain.

"She's directly over this sector," said the first AI. "Those guns are not manned."

"Rotate the globe, bring other batteries to bear."

"She's holding synchronous course relative to this sector," came the reply after a moment, "and continues to approach at max. She'll break up against the s.h.i.+eld."

"I no longer trust our s.h.i.+eld," said the captain. "Recall gunnery personnel," he ordered, moving to s.h.i.+eld control.

"Still at full strength?" he asked.

The s.h.i.+eld control AI nodded. "Yes, sir. Hostile vessel has no chance of penetrating."

"Sir." said combat control, "senior blade reports humans advancing again."

The captain gave the equivalent of a mental shrug. "There's no danger from the few that are left. Whoever ordered them in should be shot. Any reports on the saboteurs?"

"Contact lost on level fifty-nine."

"Have them found-they've already hurt us twice. And give me a twenty-count to hostile vessel's destruction."

"Yes, sir."

The captain drifted to the window, watching the point where Implacable Implacable would break up, hoping to see the explosion. would break up, hoping to see the explosion.

"Twenty . . . nineteen ..."

At "eleven" a security alarm began screeching. The four duty blades rushed for the doorway, only to be blown apart by a fusillade of blaster fire as the commandos charged in.

John and L'Wrona fought their way to the s.h.i.+eld control, gunning down its AI as he opened fire, bolts flas.h.i.+ng from his eyes.

"Pray I remember this, Harrison," said L'Wrona as John guarded his back. The captain tapped a black b.u.t.ton three times, then pulled a small green lever.

Standing beside N'Trol, a death grip on his chairarm, D'Trelna closed his eyes as they crashed into the s.h.i.+eld.

So this is death, he thought: silence.

Someone nudged him. "You can open your eyes. Commodore," said N'Trol. "Through some miracle their s.h.i.+eld went down."

D'Trelna opened his and saw for the first time a battleglobe stripped of its covering. "A world of metal and guns, forged by hate," he said, recalling R'Gal's description.

He pressed the commkey. "Gunnery, cover all batteries around that Operations tower." He read the tacscan. "Mark four one seven nine. Don't fire unless fired at."

"Mr. K'Raoda," he said, turning to the first officer, "take us in low and fast. Make for that tower."

"Someone got here before us," said Zahava, taking off her helmet. Dead AIs were scattered around the shattered security post, remains still smoldering. Slinging her rifle, she drew her M11A. "And I think I know who."

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing here?" said John as Zahava and the D'Linians stepped into the Operations center.

Two dead commandos lay in one corner, survival blankets draped over them. AIs were everywhere, bodies broken by blaster fire, smoldering remains filling the air with the acrid stench of scorched metal and burnt synthetics.

"I'm here," said Zahava, "because I was needed. Although certainly not to take this bridge." She slumped into a chair next to John, pistol in her helmet, helmet in her lap.

"You could have been killed," said John, his temper ebbing.

"I did what-"

"You had to do," he said, kissing her. "You're incorrigible."

"Implacable's here," said L'Wrona, pointing to the armorgla.s.s. Sliding in on her n-gravs, the big old s.h.i.+p came to a halt just above the tower, two miles of battlesteel blotting out the stars. here," said L'Wrona, pointing to the armorgla.s.s. Sliding in on her n-gravs, the big old s.h.i.+p came to a halt just above the tower, two miles of battlesteel blotting out the stars.

A chirping came from one of the panels. Frowning, L'Wrona looked for a moment, then pushed a switch. D'Trelna's voice boomed through the room. "That you, H'Nar?"

"And friends," said the captain.

"Excellent," continued the commodore. "My fellow corsairs, we now own an AI battleglobe."

23.

"Miracle," said D'Trelna, shaking his head. He stood looking down at R'Gal. The AI lay on a medcot, eyes closed, apparently asleep.

They'd found what was left of him in the corridor outside Devastator's Devastator's Operations. R'Gal had managed to return to his own structure; still John and the others had barely recognized him-part of his face was blown away, and two gaping holes in his chest emitted a weak, pulsing light. Feeling utterly helpless, John, Zahava and L'Wrona had seen R'Gal conveyed to Operations. R'Gal had managed to return to his own structure; still John and the others had barely recognized him-part of his face was blown away, and two gaping holes in his chest emitted a weak, pulsing light. Feeling utterly helpless, John, Zahava and L'Wrona had seen R'Gal conveyed to Implacable' Implacable''s Sick Bay and delivered into the hands of the taciturn senior medtech.

The commodore turned to the room's third occupant, Medtech Q'Nil. "You've a miracle, Q'Nil."

The medtech shrugged. "Luck, Commodore-and lots of help from engineering. Fortunately, we didn't need to know most of the principles involved in order to effect repairs. And some of R'Gal's systems are self-healing." He pointed to the face. "The skin, for example, grew back in one watch after we repaired the lower jaw. He should be coming around any time now-I hope."

D'Trelna pulled up a straight-backed chair and sat facing Q'Nil and the cot, hands folded over the chairback. "Are you aware, Mr. Q'Nil, that we have a S'Cotar aboard?"

Q'Nil nodded and picked up R'Gal's medchart. "Everyone knows it, Commodore," he said, beginning an entry.

"I've done nothing about it-we've had much larger problems, and every watch since we arrived here's been a fight for survival. Also, R'Gal and, indirectly, Harrison convinced me that our elusive blonde friend ..."

"Blonde?" said Q'Nil, looking up from his chart.

D'Trelna smiled. "Possibly. Or a slime-green bug. Or maybe an eight-foot crustacean." He shrugged. "It really doesn't matter now. One thing I want to be sure of, though," he continued. "Implacable, "Implacable, her crew and I are going back to K'Ronar and flush that vipers' nest at Combine T'Lan. I want Guan-Sharick on the battleglobe, with R'Gal, Harrison and the rest, when she goes back to the AIs' home universe. They're going to need help-very special, high-powered help." her crew and I are going back to K'Ronar and flush that vipers' nest at Combine T'Lan. I want Guan-Sharick on the battleglobe, with R'Gal, Harrison and the rest, when she goes back to the AIs' home universe. They're going to need help-very special, high-powered help."

Q'Nil set the chart down on the cotside table. "I see. How long have you known?"

"Since I walked into this room, just now, and saw how you'd fixed up R'Gal," said the commodore. "It's beyond the capability of anyone on this s.h.i.+p-h.e.l.l! of anyone in the Confederation! By saving his life, you've given yourself away-and earned my trust."

"Your limited trust, no doubt?"

"Certainly," said the commodore. "You're utterly ruthless, and you'll never be forgiven what you did to galactic humanity-killing millions of us as a conditioning exercise." His face darkened at the thought. "And although your ultimate motives are obscure ..."

"They don't contravene yours, Commodore."

D'Trelna smiled coldly. "We'll see. The point is, you need us. And we need you-and him." He nodded toward R'Gal.

The s.h.i.+p's medtech looked at the AI. "He's my friend, strange as that may seem." The trans.m.u.te turned back to D'Trelna. "The Revolt, Commodore. You should have been there. AIs, humans, a few of us and some others-we rose against the shackles my people forged and broke free."

"Shackles you'd forged?"

"We're a telepathic, telekinetic race, D'Trelna. There were never very many of us. We built machines to serve us, and we built too well." He nodded toward R'Gal. "Look at him-intellect, free will, self-replication-the product of millennia of self-directed evolution. They were designed to be self-repairing." Guan-Sharick smiled. "They brought a new, wide perspective to the term."

"Did they really create mankind?" asked the commodore, looking at the AI. R'Gal seemed to be sleeping peacefully, chest gently rising and falling.

The trans.m.u.te turned back to the commodore. "They sincerely believe they did. You needn't fear for your egos, though-the story's more complex than R'Gal cares to know.

"As the AI empire expanded, they encountered humans, usually either primitives or with only rudimentary s.p.a.ceflight. The AIs found them to be intelligent but wild and-the cardinal sin-often illogical. So they created a new race of humans, starting with the basics of genetic engineering through eugenics. It seemed to work-until the Revolt."

"What happened?" asked D'Trelna, intrigued.

"What they'd done," said the trans.m.u.te, "was to breed not for docility, but for subterfuge, creating humans who'd happily bow and sc.r.a.pe before their masters even as they plotted against them. I don't think the AIs ever recovered from the shock of seeing their handiwork coming for them with beamers.

"Those bioengineered humans who fought and fled with us interbred with other humans, so, in a sense, R'Gal was right-some of your genetic stock does come from AI tinkering. It doesn't seem to have hurt you."

"And Q'Nil?" asked D'Trelna. "What happened to him?"

"He was killed and replaced at the Lake of Dreams battle-replaced not by me, but by a S'Cotar. Trying to escape, I killed the S'Cotar."

"I don't believe that," said D'Trelna, eyes narrowing. "You killed Q'Nil and took his place."

Guan-Sharick shrugged. "Makes no difference, now, D'Trelna. We need each other, as you say. But you have my word-I did not kill that man. And my word is rarely given."

The commodore stared silently out the small armorgla.s.s window, then turned back to the trans.m.u.te, shaking his head.

"What a mess you've made of two universes. You built AIs that enslaved everything they touched. Not content, you then created Pocsym and the S'Cotar and gave us the Biofab War. You're children-dangerous children."

"They're not children." R'Gal rose on the medcot. "They've accepted responsibility for their actions and tried to correct them. Given the variables and the time involved, Commodore, could you have done any better?" He shook his head. "I know I couldn't. . . . Am I going to live?" asked the AI.

The trans.m.u.te smiled. "With care, longer than you may want to."

"Thank you, old friend," said R'Gal.

"It seems I'm going with you, back home," added Guan-Sharick.

"Good idea," said R'Gal, standing. "And Lan-Asal?"

"He'll be staying on D'Lin, at his own request. The D'Linians need him-there'll be no help from K'Ronar, obviously."

"We have eight personnel who've opted out," said D'Trelna. "They didn't mind fighting AIs in their home universe, but the thought of returning to K'Ronar and probably being arrested with me was too much. They'll be working with Lan-Asal, lending aid and a.s.sistance to D'Lin. They're good people. I hope to come back for them-someday."

The commodore stood. "Medtech Q'Nil will be transferred to Devastator's Devastator's crew. And you, R'Gal, are badly needed on that battleglobe to answer several million questions." crew. And you, R'Gal, are badly needed on that battleglobe to answer several million questions."

The commlink chirped.

"Yes?" said D'Trelna.

"Alpha Prime approaching," said K'Raoda. "K'Tran requests permission to come aboard." approaching," said K'Raoda. "K'Tran requests permission to come aboard."

"Granted. Escort him to my office."

"Watch out for him," said Guan-Sharick. "The mindslavers will turn on you the instant they can. They hate any reminder of what they were.''

D'Trelna nodded. "I know," he said, and left the room, R'Gal following.

"We sustained some heavy battle damage," said K'Tran. "It'll take time to repair."

He sat in the red armchair in front of D'Trelna's desk, neatly dressed in his old uniform, hands folded in his lap.

"And if their main fleet comes through now?" asked the commodore.

"We have scouts out by the portal-the Rift, as the AIs call it," said K'Tran. "If their main fleet comes through, we'll stand them off as long as we can, but"-he pointed at D'Trelna-"we can't do it alone. We need that monster you captured to be raiding their home worlds, diverting their strength. And we need the Confederation fleet. And, might I add, some a.s.surance that our modest requests will be granted?"

D'Trelna nodded. "I'll do what I can to bring in the Confederation-the rest is up to R'Gal and Devastator.. Devastator.. As for your requests-you're very much committed now. a.s.suming the AIs transmitted battlespecs back home, the Fleet of the One isn't going to give you a unit citation when they get here." As for your requests-you're very much committed now. a.s.suming the AIs transmitted battlespecs back home, the Fleet of the One isn't going to give you a unit citation when they get here."

"We can hide," shrugged the corsair.

D'Trelna smiled unpleasandy. "They'll find you, K'Tran. I'm afraid you're committed."

"We'll discuss this later," said K'Tran. "What about the recall device you captured?"

D'Trelna sighed, spreading his hands. "It doesn't work. N'Trol says it should, according to the schematics, but it doesn't. He'll continue studying it, but I suggest we not place any hope in ancient legends and mystical fleets."

"I see," said K'Tran after a moment. "Is the battleglobe ready to go?"

"Just finished repairs last watch," said the commodore, turning to glance out the armorgla.s.s to where the battleglobe hung, her s.h.i.+eld restored, a constant stream of shuttles moving between her and the orbiting Implacable. Implacable. "There were some AI holdouts, raiding from deep inside her, but with R'Gal's help, we got them all-I hope. "There were some AI holdouts, raiding from deep inside her, but with R'Gal's help, we got them all-I hope.