The AI War Part 8

6.

The slaver's bridge was big, cold and empty, a soft-lit, mult.i.tiered cavern beneath a transparent dome.

Perfect temperature for preserving meat, thought John. Shivering, he rubbed his hands together, then thrust them back into his pockets.

Hundreds of consoles lined the tiers, lights twinkling, alarms chirping. Nowhere was there a chair, nowhere a sign that any living being had ever ere wed Alpha Prime. Alpha Prime. The Terran stared up at T'Lan, one tier above him. One thing's for sure, he thought-I'm the only human on this bridge. The Terran stared up at T'Lan, one tier above him. One thing's for sure, he thought-I'm the only human on this bridge.

Floating along at eye level, the translucent blue globe had led them from the shuttle out across the dark hangar deck. It had been a long, cold walk, their footfalls echoing distantly, John keenly aware of T'Lan striding beside him, a precise, unfaltering tap-tap-tap. T'Lan would sometimes look right or left, eyes seeming to focus ... on what? John wondered. No matter. T'Lan can see in the dark. He filed it away, another bit of data.

Going up a ramp, they'd gone down a short pa.s.sageway, through a door that moved noiselessly aside, and into a brightly lit anteroom. John stood blinking, squinting in the sudden glare as T'Lan followed the globe to one of a score of open-topped, two-seat cars that rested in power niches along the room's circ.u.mference.

Turning to John, T'Lan had pointed toward the first car, the one over which the blue globe hovered. He'd stood there, waiting until the Terran had slid over the siderail into the seat.

Once T'Lan was in, the globe vanished. Without a sound, the car turned, rose and streaked from the room, moving at high speed down endless gray corridors.

Doorways, intersections and the occasional instrument panel had flashed by; then they'd shot up a long, spiraling ramp to the bridge. Slowing, stopping, the car had settled before the faint glow of a forcefield. Stepping from the vehicle, the two had followed another blue globe through a sudden opening in the field, across the broad sweep of the bridge's deck and up a series of ramps, halting at last before the single black console that occupied the highest tier. As T'Lan spoke, the blue globe vanished. "Commander T'Lan and John Harrison, from Implacable." Implacable."

"We have a commwand for you, from Pocsym Six." Velvet soft and as cold as this ship, thought John of the voice. It spoke contemporary K'Ronarin and seemed to come from between him and T'Lan, rather than from the console.

"A message from the dead," said T'Lan. "Who are you?"

"We have no names, Commander," said the voice. "The centuries burned them away. We have only purpose."

"Do you know what's on the commwand?" asked T'Lan.

"Data relating to the Trel Cache," said the R'Actolian.

T'Lan held out his hand. "You may give it to me."

John glanced over the slender railing, gauging the distance to the deck: about two hundred feet. I'm going to save us some travel time back to the deck, thing, he thought, shifting his weight. The instant you get that commwand, over we go.

"Don't do anything quixotic, Harrison," said T'Lan in perfect English, his eyes still on the console, hand extended. "The commwand," he said in K'Ronarin.

"Pocsym," said the R'Actolian, ignoring the demand, "kept us supplied over the centuries. There were items we needed that we couldn't manufacture, but that Pocsym could. In return for these things, we pledged to remain in this quadrant, Blue Nine. Very recently, as we judge time, Pocsym entrusted us with the commwand, asking that we give it to the first K'Ronarin Fleet ship to reach these precise coordinates."

"We are here," said T'Lan.

John tensed himself, ready to jump.

"We're not giving you the commwand," said the R'Actolian.

"Why not?" said T'Lan, dropping his hand.

John laughed-a short nervous laugh. "They've tumbled to you, T'Lan."

T'Lan half turned toward the Terran. "Harrison . . ." he hissed.

"You're not a true emissary of K'Ronar, Commander T'Lan," continued the R'Actolian. "You're something out of Imperial prehistory, an AI combat droid-a survivor of that almost mythic war between man and machine."

"It's no myth," said T'Lan. "I was there."

"You are here to intercept the commwand," said the R'Actolian. "Why?"

"The Trel defeated us once. Legend says they left a weapon to be used against us."

"You wish to destroy the commwand."

T'Lan nodded. "Logically, it must hold the location of the Cache. No location, no weapon. The Fleet of the One triumphs."

The voice sighed, a legacy of lungs and bodies long cast off. "We are both man and machine, T'Lan, and love neither. It isn't out of malice that we deny you what you want, but because we've given our pledge."

"You cannot deny me," said the AI, walking around the console. "The cybernetics of this vessel were taken from Quadrant Fleet inventory on D'Lin, after you wiped Governor R'Actol." He looked down at the instruments.

"How did you know that?"

"Your first- and second-level computers," said the AI, ignoring the question, "the golden egg and its retinue of secondaries, were machines originally entrusted to the Governor of Blue Nine for safekeeping-machines salvaged from our defeated ships, centuries before. The designs were copied first, of course, and sent to K'Ronar. When reproduced later, in Fleet's own mindslavers, there was no trace of us in them. But here-" He reached out a finger, "Here is different."

"Touch the command console," said the soft voice, "and you die."

John watched with a sense of unreality as T'Lan began entering a command, fingers flying over the keyboard.

From high above, blasters shrilled, fierce red bolts tearing at the droid. John threw an arm across his eyes as T'Lan staggered away from the console, his body a blinding pillar of raw red-blue energies-energies that rippled over the AI, leaving him unharmed.

The blasters snapped off. John lowered his arm.

"You have a subcutaneous personal shield," said the R'Actolian as T'Lan, unfazed, returned to the keyboard.

"I'm a Cla.s.s One Beta Infiltration-Combat unit," said the AI, typing. "My series is impervious to blaster and projectile fire. We can only be destroyed by large-load atomics."

Straightening, T'Lan reached up and removed his left ear. Peeling it open, he discarded the husks and inserted the silver wafer they'd guarded into a small slot in the console. "This ship is now a forward unit of the Fleet of the One," he said, pressing a final switch.

Alpha Prime said nothing. said nothing.

"What've you done?" asked John, hearing his voice tremble.

T'Lan turned to him, smiling, a dark hole where his ear had been. "I've taken the R'Actolians off-line, Harrison. Their lesser functions are now run by ship's computer, which obeys the commander." He bowed. "Me."

"You're one of those ghastly robots we stopped on Terra Two," said John.

T'Lan shook his head. "Comparing me to a robot is like comparing yourself to an amoeba, Harrison. As for Terra Two, our force there was small, cut off from its own dimension, and led by an inexperienced commander."

"And now?" said John.

"Now I destroy Implacable Implacable and keep this quadrant free of other ships until our forces come through the breach. Then into K'Ronarin s.p.a.ce, repaying old debts by wiping your treacherous, parasitic species from the galaxy." and keep this quadrant free of other ships until our forces come through the breach. Then into K'Ronarin s.p.a.ce, repaying old debts by wiping your treacherous, parasitic species from the galaxy."

"Why this insane hatred?" said John, spreading his hands. "What did we-what did the K'Ronarins-ever do to engender such ..."

"I have work to do, Harrison," said T'Lan. "You're a primitive from a backward world that got in the way. And I don't need you anymore." Seizing John by the tunic, he tossed him screaming over the railing, and turned for the commander's console. As he reached it, the high-pitched scream ended abruptly.

Leaving Pod 36, Zahava looked up and down the corridor; there was no sign of Colonel R'Gal. She hadn't seen the K'Ronarin since he'd entered 31, ten minutes before.

She walked back to 31 and stopped in front of it, frowning at the red downtime marker glowing over the airlock, indicating a maintenance problem. It hadn't been there when R'Gal went in.

Drawing her blaster, she opened the first door, stepped in, and waited an eternity as it closed behind her and the inner door slid open. There were no lights on in the pod. Being Zahava, she entered anyway. The door closed behind her, taking with it the light from the airlock.

Zahava moved to the right, back to the wall, feeling for the battletorch on her belt.

Something whipped by her face, sending her blaster clattering off into the dark. Before she could move, a searing pain pierced her head. Writhing, she tried to pry free of the cold pincers boring into her temples. It was futile. Waves of pain a.s.sailing her, Zahava slumped to the floor unconscious.

Hunched over her in the dark, the S'Cotar continued its work, unconcerned by her shallow breathing and weakening pulse.

"No!" snapped KTran. "No expeditions into that dark beast, D'Trelna! We penetrate the shield, plant a charge, and leave."

"We need that commwand, K'Tran," said D'Trelna. "We're going for the bridge."

"Enemy disposition, strength and intent?" said the corsair scornfully. "Where is the bridge? How do we get there? What's to stop us? Unless you have a plan, D'Trelna, we'd better jump for it-now."

"No one's jumping anywhere," said D'Trelna. "And there is a plan." He turned to the slaver computer. "Egg."

"Thank you, Commodore," said the machine. A multicolored hologram of Alpha Prime Alpha Prime appeared between Egg and D'Trelna's station, well within range of the comm pickup. "This is from the Imperial Archives, R'Actolian War section. Unless the R'Actolians have radically altered the design of appeared between Egg and D'Trelna's station, well within range of the comm pickup. "This is from the Imperial Archives, R'Actolian War section. Unless the R'Actolians have radically altered the design of Alpha Prime, Alpha Prime, there will be a concealed sally port here." A short, red shaft appeared and penetrated the hull, halfway down the ship's port side. there will be a concealed sally port here." A short, red shaft appeared and penetrated the hull, halfway down the ship's port side.

"Define 'sally port,' " said K'Tran. He sat slouched in his chair, fingers steepled in front of him, looking at the hologram.

"I've been in one on T'Nil's Revenge," T'Nil's Revenge," said D'Trelna. "On that ship, it was a tunnel through the hull, used to countera.s.sault boarders who'd gained the hull." said D'Trelna. "On that ship, it was a tunnel through the hull, used to countera.s.sault boarders who'd gained the hull."

"Thank you, Commodore," said Egg. "It served the same purpose in Alpha Prime. Alpha Prime. Indeed, Archives records that a brigade of Imperial Marine Death Commandos, under the personal command of one Admiral K'Yal, penetrated that very sally portal on Indeed, Archives records that a brigade of Imperial Marine Death Commandos, under the personal command of one Admiral K'Yal, penetrated that very sally portal on Alpha Prime." Alpha Prime."

"To what effect?" said K'Tran.

"K'Yal was my many-times-removed maternal grandparent," said L'Wrona. "His faction having lost a power struggle within FleetOps, a suicide mission was arranged for him and his personal brigade. They penetrated the shield, reached the hull-took enormous casualties doing it-entered the sally port, and were never heard from again."

"Death Commandos, indeed," said K'Tran. He sat up. "How do we get through the shield?"

"Your ships must link shields," said Egg. "Interfaced with the computers of both attacking vessels, I will use a shield-shaping algorithm to mold the normal globular shield of each ship into a triangular-shaped shield. This shield will have both ships at its base, with its apex penetrating Alpha Prime's Alpha Prime's sally port." As Egg spoke a green triangle materialized beside the image of the mindslaver. Two diminutive cruisers sat one above the ether, just inside the base of the triangle. As everyone watched, the triangle and ships moved on the mindslaver. Penetrating the red haze marking sally port." As Egg spoke a green triangle materialized beside the image of the mindslaver. Two diminutive cruisers sat one above the ether, just inside the base of the triangle. As everyone watched, the triangle and ships moved on the mindslaver. Penetrating the red haze marking Alpha Prime's Alpha Prime's shield, the tip of the triangle touched the s.p.a.ce-end of the red shaft. shield, the tip of the triangle touched the s.p.a.ce-end of the red shaft.

"Note," continued Egg, "that this maneuver places the two fusion batteries that could bear on the sally port within range of our weapons-weapons that will still enjoy the protection of our shield. Once those cannon are neutralized, a two-shuttle sortie should be launched through the port. ..."

"Why only two shuttles?" said A'Tir.

"The sally port's lined with disintegrator cubes," said D'Trelna. "I ran afoul of the ones on T'Nil's Revenge. T'Nil's Revenge. Turns that tunnel into a disintegrator chamber. The most we'll get through are two shuttles, moving at flank." Turns that tunnel into a disintegrator chamber. The most we'll get through are two shuttles, moving at flank."

"Disintegrator cubes," said A'Tir.

"A foolish question, Egg," said K'Tran. "Why shouldn't the slaver change position and avoid our attack?"

"They've defeated every force ever sent against them, Captain," said the machine. "They are arrogant. Perhaps you are familiar with the condition?"

G.o.ds! thought D'Trelna. That thing's baiting K'Tran.

"How do we get to the bridge?" said K'Tran after a hard look at the Egg.

"I have provided directions," said the machine.

K'Tran shook his head. "Uh-huh. D'Trelna, I don't trust your unctuous egg. It goes with us, or we take our chances against you here and now."

L'Wrona reached for the commkey, ready to direct a missile and beam salvo at the corsair. D'Trelna stopped him, loudly clearing his throat. "Our friend Egg?" said the commodore. He turned to the slaver machine. "You don't mind, do you, Egg?"

"An honor, Commodore," said the machine.

"We get inside," said L'Wrona. "Then what?"

"Race for the bridge," said Egg. "The corridors should accommodate shuttles of the dimensions shown in Implacable' Implacable''s equipment roster."

"Resistance?" asked A'Tir.

"Heavy from automatic weapons systems at key intersections," said Egg. "And fierce opposition from organic units."

"Organic units?" said D'Trelna, frowning at the featureless spheroid beside him. "What organic units?"

"I've been giving the matter some thought," said the machine. "The R'Actolians are biofabs. They've had a great deal of time to perfect defenses for that ship. I suggest, given the R'Actolians antecedents, that such defenses would be organic. Most probably very lethal biofabs, held in cryogenic suspension until now. Biofabs without the R'Actolians' genius, of course. Her creations would not replicate Governor R'Actol's fatal error."

"Sort of like our friends the S'Cotar," said D'Trelna.

"Your records show they were not your friends," said Egg. "And why they didn't wipe you out is a deep mystery."

"Let's get on with it," said K'Tran impatiently.

"Agreed," said D'Trelna, swiveling his chair back to the scan. "We'll run a pa.s.sby over your ship, K'Tran, on an intercept course for Alpha Prime. Alpha Prime. As we penetrate your shield perimeter, jettison your camouflage and upshield on our shield frequency. We then attack, with Egg maneuvering both ships and running shield control. Once our combined shield overlaps the sally portal, and the instant those two batteries are wiped, we launch our shuttles, rendezvous and run the portal. Clear?" As we penetrate your shield perimeter, jettison your camouflage and upshield on our shield frequency. We then attack, with Egg maneuvering both ships and running shield control. Once our combined shield overlaps the sally portal, and the instant those two batteries are wiped, we launch our shuttles, rendezvous and run the portal. Clear?"

"Clear," said K'Tran.

D'Trelna leaned forward. "I'm switching you to Commander K'Raoda, who you so unkindly tried to kill at our last meeting. He'll give you a preliminary tactical feed and a.s.sign you battlelink frequencies." He touched a commkey, sending Victory Day's Victory Day's signal to the first officer's station. He turned to L'Wrona as the comm screen cleared. "I really hate-" signal to the first officer's station. He turned to L'Wrona as the comm screen cleared. "I really hate-"

"-that slime," finished L'Wrona. "You're not alone. I could find a hundred volunteers for his volley party."

An alarm shrilled. "Unauthorized launch!" called T'Ral. "We have an unauthorized lifepod launch!"

"Recall it," ordered L'Wrona, moving to T'Ral's station.

"I have." The younger officer pointed to a telltale. Data was racing across the screen. "Negative response."

D'Trelna had come to stand on T'Ral's right, eyes on the telltale. "Making for jump point. Surprised the slaver hasn't picked it off."

The data slowed, then stopped.

"Jumped," said T'Ral. "But where?"