Stephen Berry - The AI War

"We can't even get off the bridge," said K'Raoda, nodding toward the doors. "Never mind contacting the shuttles."

"I came to tell you," said N'Trol after glancing at the doors, "life systems…"

"We know they're gone," said T'Ral.

N'Trol shook his head. "Worse than gone. Transformed. The stasis algorithm freezes key systems, then reprograms them. Life systems was the first to fall. Its new mission is evidently to kill us."

There was a stunned silence. "How?" asked K'Raoda.

"Wilder and wilder peaks and valleys in our environment," said the engineer. "I had a report of a blizzard on hangar deck, just before we lost the commnet."

"So did we," said K'Lana.

"If the computer's serious, why doesn't it just turn the oxygen scrubbers off?" asked T'Ral. "We'd be dead by watchend."

"Or hit us with some hard vacuum?" said K'Raoda. "Or power surges, or any number of deadly tricks the computer could use?''

"The Empire, my children," said N'Trol, eyes sweeping their worried faces. "No proof, but I think those long-dead Fleet engineers hardened their cybernetics against nonexistent stasis algorithms." He glanced at K'Raoda. The first officer bowed slightly. "But"-N'Trol held up a finger-"the computer can't hold out forever. It's just fighting a rearguard action. It's going after propulsion and jump drive now."

"Weapons?" asked T'Ral.

"Weapons power feed back up firmed-the fluctuations were probably a secondary effect of its tinkering with life systems. But you'll have to man the batteries-remote targeting's useless."

"And we're helpless without the original algorithm?" said K'Raoda.

"Or its antidote," nodded the engineer. "Which I think is with that slaver machine."

"I won't argue with you," sighed K'Raoda. "Let's hope the commodore brings it back intact."

"Or it the commodore," said N'Trol.

A faint clanking came from across the bridge. Everyone turned to look. Sweating, cursing softly, the two commandos were cranking open the doors, using a hand winch installed centuries before by a meticulous Imperial Fleet.

"There's something you should see," said N'Trol as the doors grew wider. "Back where I was, in the light conduits."

"I can't leave the bridge!" said K'Raoda.

N'Trol laughed. "The bridge is dead, K'Raoda." He leaned close. "It's important."

"All right," said K'Raoda after a moment. He stood. "Attention, please." Those who'd started to drift away returned. "I'm going with Mr. N'Trol down into the light conduits. Commander T'Ral will be in command." He turned to his friend. "Secure the bridge and relocate to gunnery control. Break out a tactical commweb-the sort we'd use for ground operations…"

"An I'Zul Tactical Web," said T'Ral.

"That's it," said K'Raoda. "Put the nexus in gunnery control and a unit in every fusion battery facing Alpha Prime. Then man those batteries with everyone who's Mark eighty-eight qualified. At least we can give the commodore some cover fire if he needs it."

T'Ral nodded curtly. "Yes, sir." He began issuing orders as N'Trol and K'Raoda left the bridge.

"What's so damned secret, N'Trol?" asked K'Raoda as they hurried down an empty stretch of corridor.

"I didn't think you want the rest of them knowing there's a transmute running around on board," said N'Trol as they passed an open recroom door. A steady stream of chill air flowed into the corridor. "I see you're not startled," said the engineer.

"You haven't heard," said K'Raoda, and quickly sketched the incident of R'Gal, the transmute and the blasted command chair. He finished as they stopped before a wall panel. "So, what did you find?" he added.

"I had this engineering tech foisted on me, off Terra," said N'Trol, entering the access code on a touchpad. "Knew his stuff, kept to himself." The panel didn't open. N'Trol shrugged. "Stasis algorithm must have reached the security protocols." Unclipping a light wand from his shirt pocket, N'Trol held it over the tiny optics transceiver to the left of the touchpad. Picking up the downtime signal from transceiver, the wand sent an override code flashing into the panel. There was a soft click.

"Give me a hand here," said N'Trol, pocketing the wand.

The two men each seized one of the two handles and pulled to the right. The panel yielded slowly, sliding right.

"Anyway," said the engineer, "I went into this tech's quarters unannounced during his sleep period-a question about something he'd done but hadn't logged.

"This tech came up with a knife all set to cut my heart out. Never saw anyone in engineering move that fast." They had the panel opened now. Light glimmered in the distance.

"So you pegged R'Gal as CIC or maybe Fleet Security," said K'Raoda, following the older man into the crawl space. "So what?"

"So imagine how I felt, finding him lying in the conduit, more dead than alive."

"More dead than alive is right," said K'Raoda, kneeling over the Watcher. R'Gal lay in the center of a small four-way intersection, hands crossed over his chest, the red-green light of a billion messages washing over him. There were two neat holes in each of his temples.

"S'Cotar transmute," said K'Raoda, rising. "Weird. Why didn't it steal his mind, kill him and flick him out into space?"

N'Trol shrugged. "I'm not a PsychOps analyst."

"Let's get him to Sick Bay."

The conduit was just wide enough for one man, walking stooped over. Taking R'GaPs legs, N'Trol led, K'Raoda taking the arms, the Watcher slung between them as they moved slowly back through a narrow world of light and silence.

"This is the bridge level, Egg," said D'Trelna. "Where's the fierce opposition you promised us?" Glancing in the rear scan, he saw the corsair shuttle was maintaining speed and interval.

"This ship's had to awaken and gather its strength, Commodore," said the machine. "Soon. And should we survive, the way back won't be easy."

"D'Trelna," came K'Tran's voice, "we've passed enough hidden fusion batteries to stop a cruiser. Why haven't they fired?"

D'Trelna looked at Egg. The slaver machine didn't speak. "Perhaps we're wanted alive," said the commodore, watching the intersections warily. "This monster's strength isn't so much its size, K'Tran, as the power and maneuverability it draws from the human minds it's enslaved."

"You think they want to harvest us?" said A'Tir, a slight tremor to her voice.

"Count on it," said D'Trelna.

"I'd rather die," she said.

"You'll have the chance," said L'Wrona.

Suddenly the control panel and cabin lights winked off, as did the corridor lights. With a whine of dying n-gravs, the shuttle plunged toward the deck.

"Brakes!" shouted L'Wrona, throwing his arms across his face as they slammed into the deck.

"Negative!" cried D'Trelna, pulling back on the useless control stick.

Metal screaming, sparks flying, the shuttle spun down the corridor, angling toward the left wall. Egg's tendrils snapped back out, touching the controls.

Part of the instrument panel came alive again as the shuttle rose for an instant, then settled jerkily on its landing struts.

"My energy reserves are exhausted," whispered the slaver machine. Its light tendrils disappeared. With them went the brief burst of power that had saved the shuttle.

"Damper field," said D'Trelna weakly. Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, he unbuckled and stood, peering into the utter darkness of the corridor. "What happened to K'Tran?"

"Alternate course plotted and set," said A'Tir, looking up from the shuttle's complink.

"Time to lose Fats and friends," said K'Tran, glancing at the course plot. "Next main intersection."

The damper field hit just as they turned. Their shuttle's systems failed for an instant, touched by the field's edge, then came back on as they moved down the side corridor.