The Lost Fleet Box Set, page 121
part #1 of The Lost Fleet Series
“We’re down and the ship is secure,” Sible announced. “Thank you for flying the Originator Express.”
Leeda shook her head. “Sible’s developed a strange sense of humor. It really shows when she’s allowed to fly one of our spaceships.”
“I like it,” announced Reesa. “It makes her sound more Human.”
Kelnor took a hard look at Reesa. “We’re going to see a lot of amazing technology plus more Originator AIs. Don’t get carried away with your research and cause any problems.”
Reesa nodded. She did have a tendency to find herself in self-induced situations that continuously found her in trouble.
“Let’s get off the ship and see what’s out there,” suggested Brenda. “I’m really curious as to what Rear Admiral Barnes has to say. I’ve never met her, but I know Admiral Tolsen had a lot of respect for her.”
-
Exiting the ship, Reesa looked around in amazement. The bay was brilliantly lit and a number of other vessels were visible. Some were smaller than the one they had just exited and several were much larger. Taking a deep breath, Reesa tried to take everything in. Here was evidence of very advanced technology. Small robots, some similar to the ones she had seen in the Originator city, scurried around. The entire bay seemed to be a flurry of activity. A number of Originator AIs were also visible doing work in the bay. For there to be no live Originators, it sure seemed as if a lot was going on.
“With the Originators gone, I would have thought there would be very little activity,” she said, tilting her head and looking over at Leeda.
Leeda shook her head. “Not here. This is where much of the advanced research was done by the Originators and is still being carried out by my fellow AIs. While the AIs in the Shrieels located in the different galaxies are tasked with keeping them operational and the environmental systems functioning, the AIs here are much different. They have been programmed for research and a deep scientific curiosity.”
Going through a hatch, they were soon on their way to the Distant Horizon. Leeda had explained the meeting was to be held on the exploration dreadnought and Rear Admiral Barnes would be present.
Perhaps once they spoke to the admiral, Reesa would know why she and Kelnor had been sent here by the AIs.
-
“You’re fit as a fiddle,” Doctor Alexis Keil said as she indicated that Rear Admiral Barnes could get up and get dressed. “You’re in better health now than when we set out on our mission to find Fleet Admiral Strong.”
“They said they reconstructed a major portion of my body including my heart and lungs,” Kathryn said as she put on her uniform. “Am I still Human?”
Doctor Keil laughed. “Yes, you’re perfectly normal. I was there most of the time the AIs were working on you. Their medical technology is amazing.”
“I must have been in pretty bad shape for it to take nearly seven months to repair my body.”
Doctor Keil frowned. “Yes, there were a number of severe injuries. I think it’s best we leave that in the past and not dwell on it. Your body has been healed and you’re ready to resume command.”
Kathryn nodded her head. “We still lost a major portion of the crew. A lot of good people died when we destroyed the Dyson Sphere. I wish I knew what happened after we left.”
“It’s war,” Doctor Keil replied as she sat down on a stool and gazed at the admiral. “People die and most of the time there’s nothing we can do to prevent it. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of people pass through my medical bay. Some I could save and others all I could do was to help relieve their suffering. Don’t blame yourself; you did what had to be done. As for what happened back in the Triangulum Galaxy, we will find out when we return.”
The door to the med bay slid open and Clarissa came in. She looked radiant in her dark blue uniform without insignia. “Camlin said a ship has arrived from the Dyson Sphere in our home galaxy.”
Kathryn was surprised to hear there was a megastructure back home. She wondered what that might mean to the Federation if it were ever discovered. She was also highly curious as to where it was located. Much of the galaxy was still under control of the Ralift, Borzon, and the Shari.
“Why is this ship so important?”
A strange look spread across Clarissa’s unblemished face. “There is another AI on board who is coming to see us, but that’s not the most interesting part. There are also a number of Humans and Altons on board from the Federation.”
“What? How? When we left the Federation no Dyson Sphere had been discovered.” Kathryn wondered if somehow the Federation had managed to locate it and if they did how had they managed to get anyone on board? From what Kazak had said, she knew it was virtually impossible to land a ship on one of the Dyson Spheres.
“Well it has now and they want us in the main briefing room.”
“Who are they?”
“Camlin and an AI named Leeda. Leeda is one of the AI leaders from the Dyson Sphere in our home galaxy.”
Kathryn fastened the last button on her uniform and nodded. “Very well, let’s go see what’s going on. Maybe we’ll finally get the answers to some of my questions. I want to know what’s been going on in the Federation and how they managed to find a Dyson Sphere.”
-
As they walked down the long corridor outside of the med bay toward the turbo lifts, Kathryn couldn’t help staring at Clarissa. “How does it feel to have an actual body?”
“Unbelievable,” Clarissa said with a huge smile spreading across her face. “I never knew what it felt like to be alive. Both Ariel and I could feel emotions but the actual senses such as touching someone or smelling the food on a table were beyond us. I can’t wait to see Ariel. Camlin has arranged for an AI body to be built for her as well. We just need to download her engrams into it and she’ll be just like me!”
Kathryn laughed. Leave it to Clarissa to brighten up her day. “No one can be just like you.”
As they reached the turbo lifts, they entered one and were soon on their way up to the command level where the main briefing room was located.
“How does having an actual body affect your ability to operate the ship?” Kathryn was curious as in the past Clarissa could operate the Distant Horizon on her own.
“Unlike the Human crew of the Distant Horizon, I have a neural implant that allows me to access the ship’s systems. I can also still use the holographic emitters to allow me to appear anywhere in the ship I need to.”
“So you can be in two places at once?”
Clarissa looked a little guilty. “I’ve actually done that before. There were a number of times I was needed in more than one compartment of the Distant Horizon, so I activated additional holographic figures.”
“How many can you do and still maintain your efficiency?”
“Only three,” admitted Clarissa as the turbo lift slowed and then came to a stop. “I didn’t do it all the time, only when the need arose.”
Reaching a door at the end of the corridor, Kathryn and Clarissa stepped inside the briefing room. Kathryn paused as she took in the small group of Humans, Altons, and Originator AIs present. A Human Marine with the rank of sergeant instantly stood and saluted. The others all stood respectfully.
“As you were,” said Kathryn, returning the Marine’s salute. “If everyone will be seated, we’ll get this meeting started.” Kathryn walked over and took a seat at the long conference table. Turning her head, she looked over at Camlin. “I believe you called this meeting.”
Camlin nodded and stood. “Several million years ago the Originators in the Shrieel in what you call the Triangulum Galaxy created an advanced military AI. His name was Kazak and he had one and only one responsibility: to preserve what remained of the Originator race. At the time, the deadly pathogen created by the immortality treatments was sweeping through the Shrieels and killing tens of millions of Originators daily. In desperation, the Dominator was sent out with the brightest scientists and their families in the hope of finding a cure. On the ship they could focus their energy on research without worrying about what was going on around them.”
Kathryn nodded. She was anxious to talk to the Humans and Altons who were here about what was going on back home and if they knew how her father was doing on Ceres. “Why are you so concerned about the Dominator and Kazak?”
“Inside the center of the ship is a stasis compartment that could be used to preserve some of the Originators who might fall victim to the pathogen. If Kazak followed his programming, he would have done just that. At the very least he would have saved the children.”
“And you have the cure for the pathogen now,” Reesa said in understanding. “If you could revive these children, the Originator race would live again.”
“Precisely,” said Leeda. “We have preserved all that they built and it’s just waiting for them.”
“Then what’s the problem?” asked Kathryn. “Surely once you’ve contacted Kazak he would willingly turn them over to you.”
A pensive look filled Camlin’s face. “We’re not so sure. Kazak is a military AI, one of only a few ever built by the Originators. His programming is very specific about him preserving the Originators against any external threats. Even if we have the cure, he might not be willing to turn them over.”
“That’s where the Distant Horizon comes in,” said Kathryn as she realized the dangerous role the Originator AIs were planning for her ship. “You want me to force Kazak to turn the children over.”
“If necessary,” Camlin replied uneasily. “We don’t want there to be any violence, but we must have those children.”
“I’m not sure all of this concern is necessary,” said Clarissa, her blue eyes focusing on Camlin. “Before we left on our mission to the black matter nebula and the Dyson Sphere, Kazak and I were getting along quite well. I’m almost certain I can talk him into cooperating. Particularly once we convince him we have the cure.”
“How soon before we leave?” asked Kathryn. With over seven months having passed since they destroyed the Dyson Sphere a lot could have happened with Kazak and the Dominator.
Camlin looked over at Leeda, who nodded. “Two weeks. That’s how long it will take to finish the upgrades to the Distant Horizon.”
“How long will the trip take back to the Triangulum Galaxy?”
“One week,” replied Camlin. “The Distant Horizon is much larger than the ship Leeda and the others arrived in. It will also give your people time to become more familiar with the modifications that have been made.”
Kathryn leaned back in her chair as she considered what she had just heard. “The ship will need to go through a shakedown cruise to test its new equipment and weapons. I would need at least two weeks for that before I would be willing to face Kazak and the Dominator.”
“That can be arranged. We can set up your hyperspace dropout point far enough away from the nebula Gaia is in to allow you to test the weapons and become more familiar with the ship. There will also be a small number of AIs going along as well to help with the ship if necessary. We realize your crew has a lot to learn in a relatively short time.”
“You’ve obviously installed a lot of Originator technology on the Distant Horizon,” said Reesa, feeling concerned. “From what you told me back in the Dyson Sphere in our galaxy you have never shared Originator technology with anyone, at least not until now. When this mission is over, what will happen to the Distant Horizon and its crew? They will have picked up a lot of knowledge about your advanced technology, knowledge you don’t want spread around. For that matter so have Kelnor and I as well as the rest of our exploratory team. I was under the impression you were leaning toward not allowing any of us to return home.”
“It was a difficult decision to equip the Distant Horizon with our technology,” admitted Camlin. “Many of us wanted to repair it and leave its technology as it was. However, due to the fact Originator children might be involved on the Dominator that line of thought was overruled. What will happen to the Distant Horizon and the crew is still being discussed. There is a possibility we might allow you to keep some of the technology and return home when this is over. However, the weapons will be removed as they are too dangerous for a race as young as yours. There is also a small possibility of us forming a partnership to deal with the Simulins. All that will be decided upon the Distant Horizon’s safe return.”
Kathryn looked long and hard at Camlin. “If we agree to accept this mission I will want some of the advanced technology to remain on the ship. If we succeed in rescuing these children then I will expect some concessions to be made by you to allow us to keep part of it or all of it.”
Camlin’s eyes narrowed and then she replied. “I will speak to the others. We may be willing to make such concessions when it comes to your ship. We might even be willing to allow you to share some of the technology with your people on Gaia. However, no such concessions will be made as to sharing such advanced technology with your Federation. Such advanced technology in the wrong hands would be highly dangerous.”
Kathryn looked down at her hands and took a deep breath. She knew the technology question could be better negotiated at a later date “All right, let’s tentatively accept the timetable of two weeks.” Kathryn then turned to the Altons and Humans who were sitting at the table. She didn’t know any of them. Looking directly at the young Alton woman who seemed the most willing to talk, she said. “Who are you and how the hell did you get on board an Originator Dyson Sphere?”
-
For the next hour, Kathryn listened as various members of the Humans and Altons present told her of their adventures aboard the Dyson Sphere and the current military situation back home. She was deeply concerned about the possibility of the Shari and the Federation going to war. That Admiral Tolsen was involved didn’t surprise her. He was probably the Federation’s most talented admiral still in active service.
When they were finished with their explanations, Kathryn turned once more to Camlin. “And why exactly did you bring them here?”
“The Simulins in part,” replied Camlin. “We have decided to take a more active role in driving the Simulins out of the Shrieels. We do have a few military AIs, but none like Kazak. Since taking the command key from the Simulins at the Shrieel in your home galaxy, their taking over of other Shrieels will come to a halt. However, that doesn’t solve the problem of those they’ve already seized. Granted it’s only a number of Control Centers for the intergalactic vortexes but that alone makes them a dangerous threat. We want Sergeant Wilde to lead a team in taking back all of the Originator Shrieels. Once we’ve regained control of a Control Center we can lock it out, preventing the Simulins from ever using it again. It’s one of the reasons we’re considering forming a temporary partnership with your people.”
Kathryn studied Camlin for a long moment. This might be an opportunity to press her once more on the technology question. “If we agree to this, what’s in it for us? Would you be willing to let us keep the weapons and technology currently on the Distant Horizon? You will need a large number of highly trained Marines to free all the Shrieels. Probably several thousand at least. The Simulins and their Conqueror Drones are quite dangerous to face in combat.”
Camlin slowly nodded her head. “You bring up an interesting proposition. If we decide upon this partnership, and I should warn you that a large number of Originator AIs will be against it, we may indeed be willing to grant access to some Originator technology.”
Kathryn studied Camlin for a long moment and then spoke again. “What about all the worlds the Simulins have conquered? They have a massive industrial base. They’re bound to attack the Shrieels in the future.”
“We have warships,” said Leeda a little hesitantly, looking over at Camlin. “Can some of them be turned over to Rear Admiral Barnes to help keep the Simulins from the Shrieels?”
Camlin looked surprised by Leeda’s suggestion. “I will have to discuss it with our other AI leaders. The ships would need a minimal crew to operate efficiently. A mixture of AIs, Humans, and Altons would be the most logical. I am not sure our AI Council will agree to this but I will bring it up.”
“How many warships do you have?” asked Kathryn. She leaned forward to add one more point. “Keep in mind it was your inaction that allowed the Simulins to take over so many of the Control Centers in your Shrieels. Countless trillions of lives were lost because of that. The Simulins not only need to be driven out of the Dyson Spheres, they need to be removed from all the galaxies they’ve conquered.”
Camlin closed her eyes as if in deep thought. “We have a large number of warships in stasis. We may be willing to turn over a number of Originator warships, not as powerful as the Dominator or the Distant Horizon, but still much more powerful than anything else your people now possess. These could be used against the Simulins in the galaxies they have conquered. We may also be willing to allow limited access to the Shrieels and perhaps the intergalactic vortexes. As I said before, there is much to discuss before this could happen. Your home galaxy would have to be off limits. As far as the Simulin ships inside and around the Shrieels, if we have Kazak’s cooperation and the use of the Dominator, the automatic defenses can be activated without the need to modify our programming.”
“I’ve seen those defenses in action,” commented Sergeant Wilde. “They can easily wipe out the Simulin ships around and inside the Dyson Spheres.”
Kathryn was taken aback by the offer of the use of a number of Originator warships. She had to find a way to make that happen. “Is there any particular reason you want Sergeant Wilde in charge of taking back the Control Centers?”
“We trust her,” Leeda said definitively. “She’s also familiar with the Control Centers for the vortexes.”
Kathryn sighed. She knew the Originator AIs were determined to make this happen. At least they were willing to do something about the Simulins. She just wished they had decided this long ago. Turning toward Sergeant Wilde, she spoke. “Sergeant, it looks as if you will be leading a team of Marines against the Simulins to retake the vortex Control Centers on the Dyson Spheres. Effective immediately I am promoting you to the rank of captain. I will also be assigning an additional fifty Marines from the Distant Horizon temporarily to your command. Once I’ve made contact with Fleet Admiral Strong, I will arrange for more to be sent.”
