Read Online The AI War by Stephen Ames Berry - Free Book Online
Authors: Stephen Ames Berry
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well, Egg," said D'Trelna. "Access ship's computer through the commpanel beside the door. If you need exchange protocols, we'll have our engineering-—"
Stylus-thin, a beam of soft green light shot from the top of the spheroid to the commpanel. The connection lasted only an instant, then the beam snapped off. "This L'Aal-class cruiser is almost identical to S'Htul-class police cruisers of the S'Yal dynasty. If you wish to know how it can defeat the mindslaver now confronting it . . ."
"Yes?" said the two officers.
"It cannot. Your tactical situation is hopeless."
"For this, I left the bridge?" said D'Trelna, drawing his blaster.
"However," said Egg as the commodore twisted the muzzle back to combat setting. "What?" said D'Trelna.
"In theory, two warships of this approximate class have a slight chance against a dreadnought—that is Alpha Prime out there?"
"Yes," said L'Wrona.
"Good. She was the first of her type, without the advanced weapons systems of later ships. With myself coordinating an attack, your ships—''
"This is our only ship," said D'Trelna.
"Your crudely inhibited sensors show a second vessel, slightly smaller than this one, but heavily armed, standing off your port, poorly disguised as a rock. As Alpha Prime has undoubtedly detected her presence, a joint operation would serve you both."
L'Wrona was out the door, running for the bridge before Egg had finished.
"Come with me . . . please," said the commodore.
The commando sergeant watched, bemused, as two similar shapes, one golden and metal, the other human and uniformed, moved down the corridor toward the lift.
Unable to communicate its urgent report about Egg to any station, Implacable'% computer kept trying to bypass the blockage. With increasing alarm, it found the restraints on its operations to be firm—and spreading.
"Why haven't I been here before?" asked Zahava.
"No need," said R'Gal as the door closed behind them. "Not unless you're abandoning ship."
They stood at one end of a brightly lit corridor. It looked like any other of Implacable 's long gray miles, save for the ten widely interspaced doors that ran its length, five to each side. The door to Zahava and R'Gal's right read Lifepod 1. R'Gal thumbed the entry tab.
"Shall we?" said the K'Ronarin as the double doors of the airlock slid open. Zahava stepped into the lifepod.
It was a big, round room. Rows of red flight couches took up most of the floor space, broken by three aisles and a central spiral stairway. Across the cabin from the airlock, beneath a blank main screen, two flight couches fronted a darkened double console.
"Looks more like a bus than a pod," said the Israeli.
"Long before even Implacable was built," said R'Gal as the door hissed shut, "survival vessels were one-man craft. Time went by, they grew to this." His hand swept the cabin. "Three levels, a hundred and fifty seats, maximum capacity over two hundred. Jump drive, n-gravs, automatic homers, sanitation and recreation facilities. The whole unit can be broken down to form the nucleus of a rough colony—power plant, forcefield, sanitation and shelter—just in case." He walked across the cabin as he spoke, heading for the double console.
"In case of what?"
"In case the automatic homers don't find a close-in planet emitting technology's telltale spores." Reaching the far side of the pod, the colonel dropped into the left chair and busied himself with the instruments.
"Why three levels?" asked Zahava, following him down the center aisle. "And why twice as many lifepods as needed?"
"Three levels to conform to Implacable's design. So many pods because she probably carried a larger complement five thousand years ago." He leaned forward, reading a report as it flashed onto a telltale. "Maintenance log says we're the first to enter this pod since the ship left Terra."
"Is that true?" she asked.
"It's true that the log entry reads no access since Terra." R'Gal stood as the telltale winked off. "It's also
Stylus-thin, a beam of soft green light shot from the top of the spheroid to the commpanel. The connection lasted only an instant, then the beam snapped off. "This L'Aal-class cruiser is almost identical to S'Htul-class police cruisers of the S'Yal dynasty. If you wish to know how it can defeat the mindslaver now confronting it . . ."
"Yes?" said the two officers.
"It cannot. Your tactical situation is hopeless."
"For this, I left the bridge?" said D'Trelna, drawing his blaster.
"However," said Egg as the commodore twisted the muzzle back to combat setting. "What?" said D'Trelna.
"In theory, two warships of this approximate class have a slight chance against a dreadnought—that is Alpha Prime out there?"
"Yes," said L'Wrona.
"Good. She was the first of her type, without the advanced weapons systems of later ships. With myself coordinating an attack, your ships—''
"This is our only ship," said D'Trelna.
"Your crudely inhibited sensors show a second vessel, slightly smaller than this one, but heavily armed, standing off your port, poorly disguised as a rock. As Alpha Prime has undoubtedly detected her presence, a joint operation would serve you both."
L'Wrona was out the door, running for the bridge before Egg had finished.
"Come with me . . . please," said the commodore.
The commando sergeant watched, bemused, as two similar shapes, one golden and metal, the other human and uniformed, moved down the corridor toward the lift.
Unable to communicate its urgent report about Egg to any station, Implacable'% computer kept trying to bypass the blockage. With increasing alarm, it found the restraints on its operations to be firm—and spreading.
"Why haven't I been here before?" asked Zahava.
"No need," said R'Gal as the door closed behind them. "Not unless you're abandoning ship."
They stood at one end of a brightly lit corridor. It looked like any other of Implacable 's long gray miles, save for the ten widely interspaced doors that ran its length, five to each side. The door to Zahava and R'Gal's right read Lifepod 1. R'Gal thumbed the entry tab.
"Shall we?" said the K'Ronarin as the double doors of the airlock slid open. Zahava stepped into the lifepod.
It was a big, round room. Rows of red flight couches took up most of the floor space, broken by three aisles and a central spiral stairway. Across the cabin from the airlock, beneath a blank main screen, two flight couches fronted a darkened double console.
"Looks more like a bus than a pod," said the Israeli.
"Long before even Implacable was built," said R'Gal as the door hissed shut, "survival vessels were one-man craft. Time went by, they grew to this." His hand swept the cabin. "Three levels, a hundred and fifty seats, maximum capacity over two hundred. Jump drive, n-gravs, automatic homers, sanitation and recreation facilities. The whole unit can be broken down to form the nucleus of a rough colony—power plant, forcefield, sanitation and shelter—just in case." He walked across the cabin as he spoke, heading for the double console.
"In case of what?"
"In case the automatic homers don't find a close-in planet emitting technology's telltale spores." Reaching the far side of the pod, the colonel dropped into the left chair and busied himself with the instruments.
"Why three levels?" asked Zahava, following him down the center aisle. "And why twice as many lifepods as needed?"
"Three levels to conform to Implacable's design. So many pods because she probably carried a larger complement five thousand years ago." He leaned forward, reading a report as it flashed onto a telltale. "Maintenance log says we're the first to enter this pod since the ship left Terra."
"Is that true?" she asked.
"It's true that the log entry reads no access since Terra." R'Gal stood as the telltale winked off. "It's also
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